Famous Freemason: Richard E. Byrd
Masonry has been able to call several prominent figures from history “Brother”. Some were major political leaders, while others may have been famous athletes or entertainers, but did you know that the first man to fly over the North Pole was a Freemason? That’s right, Richard E. Byrd was a proud member of the Craft!
Born on October 25, 1888, Byrd originally came from Winchester, Virginia. He came from an influential family and his father served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates for a time. When he grew up, Byrd attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. While in school, he severely injured his right ankle exercising. He was still able to graduate in 1912, but this injury would follow him for the rest of his life. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an ensign in the Navy and was assigned to the USS Wyoming and later assigned to the USS Dolphin. In March 1916, Byrd suffered another foot injury which leads to his medical retirement. He stayed in the Navy though and was assigned as the Inspector and Instructor for the Rhode Island Naval Militia in Providence, Rhode Island.
Brother Byrd had enough foresight to realize that air travel was going to progress rapidly during his life, so during World War I he became a naval aviator and earned his pilots wings in August 1917. He had a passion for flying and pioneered different techniques for flying over the open ocean. At the end of World War I he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. After the war, Byrd joined the Craft. In 1921 he became a member of Federal Lodge No. 1 in Washington D.C. In May 1926, Byrd and Navy Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett attempted the first flight over the North Pole. They took off from Svalbard, Norway, and embarked on a 15-hour flight. When they both returned home, Byrd was promoted to the rank of Commander and both of the men were presented the Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge.
After this historic expedition, Byrd used his new credibility to obtain funding for other Arctic expeditions across the North and South Pole. He went on several expeditions between 1928 and 1956. During his last trip to the Arctic, he helped establish the permanent U.S. military presence in Antarctica. During an expedition to the North Pole and a separate expedition to the South Pole, Byrd and his copilot Bernt Balchen dropped Masonic flags on the two Poles, and Balchen even added his Shrine fez. Additionally, during the Arctic expedition between 1933 and 1935, 60 of the 82 members were masons. On that trip, the crew established First Antarctic Lodge No. 777 of New Zealand on February 5, 1935.
Brother Byrd passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 11, 1957, in his home in Beacon Hill. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. At the time of his death, Byrd has received 22 citations and special commendations. Nine of which were for bravery and two were for extraordinary heroism. It is clear that Bro. Byrd lived a full life and did far more than what we could fit in this article. If you want to read more about this exciting polar explorer, click here!