Lafayette Bicentennial

August 2024 will mark the bicentennial anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s final goodwill tour of the United States. He arrived in New York State in late summer 1824 and spent the next thirteen months traveling the country, visiting each state of the Union—twenty-four in all. Wherever Lafayette went, he was greeted by throngs of eager spectators who wished to catch a glimpse of the last surviving Major General of the American Revolution. Cities and towns arranged planning committees and raised funds to host lavish parties, receptions, parades, and other events. He met with President James Monroe at the White House, Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, and held receptions to meet veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families.

The country’s Freemasons were just as eager to welcome Lafayette, a fellow brother of the Mystic Tie. Grand lodges and local bodies set up committees to welcome Lafayette into their lodge halls. He accepted invitations to attend meetings, provided toasts at festive boards, and, whenever his tight schedule prevented him from attending meetings, welcomed Masons to his quarters for personal receptions. New York City became a hub for many of Lafayette’s activities, including a number of notable Masonic events. Within weeks of his return to America, Lafayette was initiated into Royal Arch Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Scottish Rite in New York City, and often shared his impressions and experiences of these appendant bodies while speaking with other Masons. He accepted invitations from grand lodges to lay cornerstones for notable landmarks, including memorials to Generals Nathanael Greene, Casimir Pulaski, Baron de Kalb, and a new memorial at Bunker Hill in Massachusetts.

In all, Lafayette’s visit was an important moment in American Freemasonry, which helped the public learn more about the fraternity’s values and goals. Like George Washington, Lafayette championed the fraternity and served as a role model for many who joined the fraternity. He represented a life dedicated to public service; he remained true to his convictions throughout his life; and he sought out the fraternity as a way to improve himself and support his brothers and the society he served.