# Simple question: Which of the democratic candidates for president are FREEMASONS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603 "2004-01-22T08:16:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Llamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llamer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/1 "2004-01-22T08:16:01Z")
The answer will net the winner of the primary, and possibly the 2004 election. If there is more than one, well that will just complicate things (or will it already prove my point?). I believe John Kerry is, as he is a member of Harvard’s SKULL AND BONES society. So a check-mark next to his box… Anyone know? I already searched the interet and came up only with Kerry’s info…C’mon, THIS IS IMPORTANT! All but two of our presidents have been Freemasons – you find that coiincidence? Just wait and see… ---
**Author:** ![leesha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/db5fbb/32.png) [@leesha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leesha)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/2 "2004-01-22T08:52:49Z")
What are freemasons? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/3 "2004-01-22T09:19:22Z")
> [@Llamer](#): > > All but two of our presidents have been Freemasons Not according to the [masons](http://www.mastermason.com/wilmettepark/pres.html). They list the following as members: > [@](#): > > George Washington > James Monroe > Andrew Jackson > James Polk > James Buchanan > Andrew Johnson > James Garfield > William McKinley > Theodore Roosevelt > Howard Taft > Warren Harding > Franklin Roosevelt > Harry Truman > Gerald Ford ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/4 "2004-01-22T09:26:07Z")
> [@leesha](#): > > What are freemasons? [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_138.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_138.html) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/5 "2004-01-22T09:27:29Z")
Yep, Gerry Ford was our last Masonic president, and he never took the Craft seriously. Now, HST was very much into Masonry, sitting in Lodges while he was in office. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/6 "2004-01-22T12:54:58Z")
> [@Llamer](#): > > I believe John Kerry is, as he is a member of Harvard’s SKULL AND BONES society. So a check-mark next to his box… That would be quite a trick, inasmuch as Skull & Bones is a _Yale_ University society. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/7 "2004-01-22T15:21:08Z")
> [@Llamer](#): > > The answer will net the winner of the primary, and possibly the 2004 election. If there is more than one, well that will just complicate things (or will it already prove my point?). > > I believe John Kerry is, as he is a member of Harvard’s SKULL AND BONES society. So a check-mark next to his box… > > Anyone know? I already searched the interet and came up only with Kerry’s info…C’mon, THIS IS IMPORTANT! All but two of our presidents have been Freemasons – you find that coiincidence? > Just wait and see… So you searched the internet and got obviouslsy false information about Kerry (Skull & Bones is associated with Yale, not Harvard). You think all of our presidents have been freemasons (obvioulsy untrue), and yet here we are on top of the world, so why would you care if another one is? You assume that Skull & Bones has anything to do with the Freemasons. If any of this garbage was true or mattered, no one on SMDB would tell you anyhow. They might get removed by all them shadowy organizations. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/8 "2004-01-22T15:27:51Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > That would be quite a trick, inasmuch as Skull & Bones is a _Yale_ University society. Which is where Kerry went, and he actually was in Skull and Bones. But that doesn’t mean he’s a Mason. I haven’t seen any evidence he is, and, given that he’s a Catholic, it’s less likely. ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/9 "2004-01-22T16:40:18Z")
I’m quite upset to find out that James K Polk was a Freemason. He was my favorite president. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/10 "2004-01-22T17:13:27Z")
What you’ve really got to be careful of are those damned Stonecutters… > [@](#): > > Who controls the British crown? > Who keeps the metric system down? > We do! We do! > > Who keeps Atlantis off the maps? > Who keeps the Martians under wraps? > We do! We do! > > Who holds back the electric car? > Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? > We do! We do! > > Who robs the cave fish of their site? > Who rigs every Oscar night? > We do! We do! Sorry, but you knew _somebody_ had to post it… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/11 "2004-01-23T07:26:29Z")
Well! We **Sons Of Freema** don’t take kindly to all this “rule the world” talk, especially since we don’t. If I had a nickel for every time somebody said I ruled the world,…uh, wait a minute, I already do. A nickel ain’t much. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/12 "2004-01-23T19:23:38Z")
According to one site: Skull and Bones is a Masonic Order regardless of whether Grand Lodge Masonry openly recognizes it or not. It’s ‘Charter of Transmission’ came from the ‘Brotherhood of Death’ at Inglostadt Germany, an offshoot of Contintental Freemason Baron Von Hund’s ‘Strict Observance’ Rite, who was also instrumental in the founding of the Illuminati of Bavaria. [http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/theskulls.html](http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/theskulls.html) Note entirely sure about the source. But these things are notoriously hard to ping down, as their nature is to be secrative. And yes, Kerry is a member of Skull & Bones. Wouldn’t it be just wonderful to have an election where all we have to choose from is two Bonesmen… Shows just how fair the democratic process can be… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/13 "2004-01-23T19:30:46Z")
> [@akrako1](#): > > And yes, Kerry is a member of Skull & Bones. Wouldn’t it be just wonderful to have an election where all we have to choose from is two Bonesmen… Shows just how fair the democratic process can be… Why would that be unfair? ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/14 "2004-01-23T20:04:06Z")
is it fair to choose a president from only two Bonesmen? You decide… Author Bill Cooper explains this disturbing fact most succinctly: “…Members of the Order [Skull & Bones] take an oath that absolves them from any allegiance to any nation or king or government or constitution, and that includes the negating of any subsequent oath which they may be required to take. They SWEAR ALLEGIANCE only to the Order and its goal of a New World Order … according to the oath Bush took when he was initiated into Skull and Bones, his oath of office as President of the United States means NOTHING” (Behold A Pale Horse, William Cooper, pp. 81-82). [http://www.newswatchmagazine.org/weekly\_editor/9.15.00.htm](http://www.newswatchmagazine.org/weekly_editor/9.15.00.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/15 "2004-01-23T21:48:26Z")
Yeah, but William Cooper was a paranoid convinced there was some sort of global conspiracy dedicated to taking away US sovereignty and establishing a totalitarian world government. He’s not really a reliable source of information. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/16 "2004-01-23T22:25:22Z")
William Cooper was a highly decorated US Navy Intelligence office with a high top secret security rating - as shown by duplication of official documents in his book. While yes, I would agree that he is slightly paranoid, that does not dismiss his research. As with every ‘conspiracy theorist’, you need to read thru their material and distinguish fact from opinion. And by the way, It was George Bush I who uttered the term ‘New World Order’ in public for the first time, not William Cooper. Out of these troubled times, our-objective-a new world order-can emerge-Today, that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we have known- -Former President George Bush, September 11, 1990 With NAFTA, new ‘free trade’ deals in the works, and increased globilization, I don’t think it’s valid to quickly dismiss someone who believes in a ‘totalitarian government’ as a quack. The theory is getting more and more into mainstream consciousness. Anyways, here’s some more non-William Cooper quotes that say the same thing: “The year in the tomb at Yale instills within members an unwavering loyalty to Skull and Bones society. Members have been known to stab their Skull and Bones pins into their skin to keep them in place during swimming or bathing. The knights (as the student members are called) learn quickly that their allegiance to the society must supercede all else - family, friendships, country, God.” [http://www.secretsofthetomb.com/excerpt.asp](http://www.secretsofthetomb.com/excerpt.asp) Yet [Bush’s] allegiance to this Luciferian secret fraternity commits the U.S. President to serve the Illuminist objective of global domination and the vested interest of a secretive Anglo-American power elite, above the best interest of his nation. Historian Antony Sutton, in America’s Secret Establishment claims that Skull and Bones is, “a clear and obvious threat to constitutional freedom in the United States. Its secrecy, power and use of influence is greater by far than the masons, or any other semi-secret mutual or fraternal organization.” [http://www.babelmagazine.com/issue75/stiffing.html](http://www.babelmagazine.com/issue75/stiffing.html) Here’s a good page of NWO-related quotes: [http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/quotes/index.htm](http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/quotes/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/17 "2004-01-23T23:50:24Z")
FWIW, I’ve met several secret society alums from Yale, including a couple of S&B, and they are unanimous in stating that at this point in time, it’s just a social club. OK, just anecdotal evidence, and of cousre they could be lying, but geez… BTW, Having two S&Brs as candidates (Lieberman and Dean are also Yalies, don’t know their societies) is no less fair than having two humans, two males, two vets (well, one and a half at least), two non-jews, etc… it only matters if you believe S&B matters, which I for one don’t. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/18 "2004-01-24T19:37:28Z")
It takes just a few minutes roaming the websites **akrako1** links to, to figure out most of it is tommyrot ‘n’ poppycock. There is enough factual stuff sprinkled in it to make it seem like it was written by an earthling, but not enough to make it plausible. We have to remind folks sometimes; just because it’s on the internet, that doesn’t make it true. **Akrako1,** if you don’t get your BS meter calibrated, you’re going to be telling us about “gas music from Jupiter.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/19 "2004-01-24T19:46:44Z")
I think there is an obvious elite initiation that one needs to go through in order reach the top levels of American politics. It is called going to Harvard or Yale. There have in fact been only 2 serious candidates for President over the past 16 years that did not attend either : Ross Perot and Bob Dole (mixing undergrad and grad degrees): In 1988 Bush (Yale) took on Mike Dukakis (Harvard) In 1992 Clinton & Bush both had degrees from Yale Perot did not In 1996 Clinton (Yale) vs. Dole (did not) In 2000 Gore, Bush II, Nader all had degrees from Harvard In 2004 Bush II and frontrunners Kerry and Dean (and non-frontrunner Lieberman btw) all have degrees from Yale So (dangerously projecting this year) in the past 5 Presidential elections, with 12 major candidates: 10 (83%) - and 100% of the winners - had degrees from either Harvard or Yale These two Ivy League Unis are the not so secret society that you need to be part of the reach the very top of American politics. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603/20 "2004-01-24T19:48:13Z")
So Skull and Bones (located at the University that GWB attended, let us note!) is actually an arm of the Illuminati?!? And the last Mason to be President adopted the name “Ford” – which is only one letter off from “fnord”? We may be on to something here!! :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-which-of-the-democratic-candidates-for-president-are-freemasons/225603.md?page=2)