The Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction oversees the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in fifteen states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont.Website of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction This territory has existed since 1827 when the NMJ gained jurisdiction "over the then 14 states situated east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Wisconsin was not yet a state, but part of Michigan."
Formed in 1813, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is divided into "Valleys."Valleys of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction Each Valley has up to four subordinate bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. The four subordinate bodies are the Lodge of Perfection, which confers degrees 4 through 14, the Council of Princes of Jerusalem, which confers degrees 15 and 16, the Chapter of Rose Croix which confers degrees 17 and 18, and the consistory which confers degrees from 19 to 32.
History
Beginnings
Most of the thirty-three degrees of the Scottish Rite existed in parts of previous degree systems.de Hoyos, Arturo, "Development of the Scottish Rite Rituals", in Scottish Rite Ritual, Monitor and Guide 2d ed. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., 2009), pp. 109-118. In 1767, the Ineffable Lodge of Perfection had been chartered in Albany, NY, and awarded up to the 25th degree. Similar bodies were formed in Philadelphia and Charleston awarding degrees up to the 25th, but all had died out by 1800.The Scottish Rite in the United States, and the awarding of degrees up to the 33rd, formally came into being with the creation of the Mother Supreme Council at Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1801.
In 1806, a member of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction named Antoine Bideaud traveled to New York City and conferred the 30, 31, and 32 degrees upon John Joseph Gourgas and four other Frenchmen for $46 each. This was done under the table by Bideaud to make a little extra money.
In early 1813, Emmanuel De La La Motta, Grand Treasurer of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, was in New York for health reasons and learned of these Scottish Rite Masons. Over the course of a few months, their status was regularized within the Scottish Rite.
The founding six members included the men who would become the first three Sovereign Grand Commanders, Daniel D. Tompkins, Sampson Simson, and John Joseph Gourgas, as well as three others, John Gabriel Tardy, Richard Riker and Moses Levy Maduro Peixotto.
Supreme Council Foundation On May 1, 1813, an officer from the Supreme Council at Charleston initiated several New York Masons into the Thirty-third Degree and organized a Supreme Council for the "Northern Masonic District and Jurisdiction". On May 21, 1814, this Supreme Council reopened and proceeded to "nominate, elect, appoint, install and proclaim in due, legal and ample form" the elected officers "as forming the second Grand and Supreme Council...". Finally, the charter of this organization (written January 7, 1815) added, "We think the Ratification ought to be dated 21st day May 5815."
The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction had rivals for control of the Scottish Rite in the North, including from the Cerneau Supreme Council. While their dispute was multifaceted, some scholars argue that a chief difference was that the early version of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was inclusive of Jewish members, while the Cerneau Supreme Council excluded them.Joseph Cerneau vs. Emanuel De La Motta: Understanding the Founding of the Scottish Rite's Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in 1813 through the Lens of Religious Intolerance – Jeffrey Croteau
After the Morgan Affair, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was inactive from 1832 to 1843, with "Gourgas and Yates were effectively a Supreme Council of two people, preserving the organization's records and corresponding with one another about the plight of American Freemasonry." During this period, a number of men gave up their memberships as Freemasons in the face of wider anti-Masonic ostracism. By 1847, membership consisted of only 9 members.
Schism of 1860 In 1860, at a meeting of the Supreme Council, the sitting Sovereign Grand Commander, Edward Asa Raymond, "refused to act on a motion, blocked a motion to adjourn, and then declared the Council closed. The next day, immediately after the opening and the reading of the minutes, he closed the Council 'sine die,' or indefinitely, and walked out." Killian Henry Van Rensselaer was elected as Lieutenant Grand Commander in Raymond's absence, who then served as acting Grand Commander.
Raymond would leave the Supreme Council completely, and along with Grand Treasurer Simon W. Robinson, formed their own rival Supreme Council, named after Raymond, which would soon merge with the Hays Cerneau Council. In early 1862, expelled his successor, Killian Henry Van Rensselaer from this new Scottish Rite order.
A few months later, in May 1862, Raymond was accused of "a spirit of insubordination" and attempting to continue to function as Sovereign Grand Commander despite having been removed from office, and expelled from the original Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
The Schism of 1860, which began as an internal leadership dispute ultimately led to two competing Supreme Councils operated in the Northeast until a reconciliation in 1867.
Officially, the Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J. dates itself from May 15, 1867, as this was the date of the "Union of 1867", when the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction merged with the competing Hays-Raymond Cerneau Supreme Council in New York, thus forming the current Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States.de Hoyos, Arturo, "The Union of 1867" in Heredom (Washington, D.C.: Scottish Rite Research Society, 1995), vol. 5:7-45.
20th century Originally located in New York, the headquarters of the NMJ was in downtown Boston for much of the late 19th and 20th century. From 1927 to 1968, the offices were located in the Statler Hotel, moving to Lexington, Massachusetts in 1968. In 1975, the Supreme Council founded the Museum of Our National Heritage, now the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, in Lexington, Massachusetts.
21st century In 2013, the headquarters building was sold to the town of Lexington, with the offices of the Sovereign Grand Commander moving into the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library located next door.
In December 2023, Past Sovereign Grand Commander, David Glattly criticized the Supreme Council over internal bickering and financial mismanagement. In February 2024, Glattly was expelled from the order, initially without explanation. In March 2024, the current Sovereign Grand Commander, Walter F. Wheeler claimed Glattly's expulsion was due to ballot fraud, inappropriate employment practices, lack of budgetary control, expense control and excessive spending, failures of corporate governance and a toxic workplace environment under Glattly's stewardship.
Philanthropy Masonic Learning Centers for Children, Inc. which provides tutoring for children with dyslexia in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, is the primary charity of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is also a charity.
Leadership In the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members. All members of the Supreme Council are designated Sovereign Grand Inspectors General. In addition, the head of the Rite in each Valley of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is called a "Deputy of the Supreme Council."
The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction meets yearly, in recent years alternating between the headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts in even years and a large city in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in odd years. However, in 2023 the annual meeting was in Lexington, Kentucky, which is located in the Southern Jurisdiction.
Soverign Grand Commander The head of the NMJ is the Sovereign Grand Commander. The current Sovereign Grand Commander is Walter F. Wheeler, who was installed to the post in August 2023 at the annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.
Henry Lynde Palmer's tenure of 30 years was the longest, and Giles Fonda Yates, who served for only 10 days, was the shortest. Two Sovereign Grand Commanders of the Northern Masonic Jurisdictions have been expelled by the Supreme Council after their terms had ended, namely Edward Asa Raymond in 1862 and David Alan Glattly in 2024.
Klliian Henry Van Rensselaer, then Soverign Grand Commander, was also expelled by his predecessor, Edward Asa Raymond in 1862, who had set up his own rival Raymond Supreme Council.
The list of Sovereign Grand Commanders is as follows: +NumberSGCYears in officeNumberSGCYears in office1Daniel Decius Tompkins 1813–182513Melvin Maynard Johnson 1933–19532Sampson Simson1825–183214George Edward Bushnell1953–19653John James Joseph Gourgas 1832–185115George Adelbert Newbury1965–19754Giles Fonda Yates 1851 16Stanley Fielding Maxwell1975–19855Edward Asa Raymond1851–186017Francis George Paul 1985–19936Killian Henry Van Rensselaer1860–1861 (acting); 1862–186718Robert Odel Ralston1993–20037Josiah Hayden Drummond1867–187919Walter Ernest Webber 2003–20068Henry Lynde Palmer1879–190920John William McNaughton2006–20179Samuel Crocker Lawrence1909–191021David Alan Glattly 2017–202110Barton Smith1910–192122Peter John Samiec2021–202311Leon Martin Abbott 1921–193223Walter F. Wheeler2023–present12Frederic Beckwith Stevens1932–1933 (acting) Membership Total membership has fluctuated over the years, reaching a peak in the late 1960s: +YearTotal membershipYearTotal membership181361959489,198184521969510,583184791979502,11418797,3661989412,612190961,2521999296,6871929300,8392009171,2301939209,385201999,2731949377,845
Degree structure Members of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction are required to have achieved the third degree or Master Mason degree in their local lodges before they can apply to join the Scottish Rite. The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction offers 29 additional degrees, with a final 33rd degree conferred as an honor for service to the fraternity and society. However, taking these additional degrees does not give one higher "rank" in Masonry. While the higher numbering might imply a hierarchy, the additional degrees are considered "appendant degrees". They represent a lateral movement in Masonic education rather than an upward movement, and are degrees of instruction rather than rank.Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction website: Frequently asked questions - "Are Scottish Rite degrees higher than those of a Master Mason?"
In 2004, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction rewrote and reorganized its degreesFreemasons for Dummies, Christopher Hodapp, , Hungry Minds Inc, U.S., 2005. pp. 224-225 and further changes occurred in 2006.The Northern Light Magazine, November 2006; p. 6 "Ritual Changes." As of 2023, the degrees offered by the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction can be divided into four categories:
Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°); set in the Old Testament Council of Princes of Jerusalem (15° and 16°); set during and after the Babylonian Captivity Chapter of Rose Croix (17° and 18°); set before and during the time of Jesus Consistory (19°–32°); set from the Middle Ages to 1943 Some of the degrees are historical, while others can be considered historical fiction. As of 2026, the topics of the degrees are as follows: