July 18, 2026
Famous Freemasons in Texas History
From the Father of Texas to the hero of San Jacinto, Freemasons helped shape the Lone Star State. Meet a few of the brethren who came before us.
Freemasonry and Texas history are deeply intertwined. Many of the men who founded the Republic of Texas and shaped the state we know today were members of the fraternity. Here are a few of the notable Texas Masons whose legacy still surrounds us.
Stephen F. Austin — "The Father of Texas." The man most responsible for the American colonization of Texas was a Freemason, having been raised in a lodge in Louisiana. Austin even petitioned for the formation of a Masonic lodge in Texas in the 1830s, planting some of the earliest seeds of organized Masonry in the region.
Sam Houston — Soldier and Statesman. Perhaps the most famous Texan of all, Sam Houston — commander at the Battle of San Jacinto, President of the Republic of Texas, and later U.S. Senator and Governor — was a devoted Freemason and a member of Holland Lodge. His Masonic values of duty and brotherhood followed him throughout his remarkable public life.
Anson Jones — The Last President of the Republic. Anson Jones, the fourth and final President of the Republic of Texas, was not only a Mason but served as the first Grand Master of Masons in Texas when the Grand Lodge was formed in 1837. Under his leadership, Texas Masonry took its organized shape.
A National Brotherhood. Texas Masons stand in the company of many of the nation's founders and leaders. George Washington took his oath of office as President with his hand on a Masonic Bible. Benjamin Franklin was a Mason, as were fourteen U.S. Presidents in all. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a member of a Texas lodge, even carried a Masonic banner with him on his historic journey to the Moon.
Carrying the Legacy Forward. The Masons of the past helped build Texas — its towns, its institutions, and its values. Today, lodges like ours continue that work in a quieter way: through scholarships, community service, and the simple, steady effort of helping good men become better. When you visit League City Lodge No. 1053, you become part of a story that stretches back to the very founding of Texas.
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