PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Knights Templar
Politician members in the District of Columbia

  Clarence Henry Adams (1905-1987) — also known as Clarence H. Adams — of Bloomfield, Hartford County, Conn.; Washington, D.C.; Mamaroneck, Westchester County, N.Y. Born in Ogunquit, Wells, York County, Maine, November 1, 1905. Republican. Securities administrator for Connecticut Banking Department, 1931-52; member, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 1952-56; president and trustee, Boston Celtics professional basketball team, 1965-68. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar; Jesters; Shriners. Died, in the Maine Medical Center, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, May 10, 1987 (age 81 years, 190 days). Interment at Ocean View Cemetery, Wells, Maine.
  Relatives: Son of Orin J. Adams and Rose (Moody) Adams; married, October 10, 1931, to Arlene M. Sawyer.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Henry Moore Baker (1841-1912) — also known as Henry M. Baker — of Bow, Merrimack County, N.H. Born in Bow, Merrimack County, N.H., January 11, 1841. Republican. Lawyer; member of New Hampshire state senate 9th District, 1891-92; U.S. Representative from New Hampshire 2nd District, 1893-97; delegate to New Hampshire state constitutional convention, 1902; member of New Hampshire state house of representatives, 1905-09. Member, Sons of the American Revolution; Society of Colonial Wars; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners. Died in Washington, D.C., May 30, 1912 (age 71 years, 140 days). Interment at Alexander Cemetery, Bow, N.H.
  Relatives: Son of Aaron W. Baker and Nancy (Dustin) Baker.
  Cross-reference: Sherman E. Burroughs
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Philip Allen Bennett (1881-1942) — also known as Philip A. Bennett; Phil A. Bennett — of Buffalo, Dallas County, Mo.; Springfield, Greene County, Mo. Born near Buffalo, Dallas County, Mo., March 5, 1881. Republican. Newspaper publisher; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1912; member of Missouri state senate 19th District, 1921-24; U.S. Representative from Missouri 6th District, 1941-42; defeated, 1922 (16th District), 1932 (at-large), 1938 (6th District); died in office 1942; Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, 1925-29; candidate for Governor of Missouri, 1928. Christian. Member, Odd Fellows; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners. Died in Washington, D.C., December 7, 1942 (age 61 years, 277 days). Interment at Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, Mo.
  Relatives: Son of Marion F. Bennett and Mary (O'Bannon) Bennett; married, May 16, 1912, to Bertha Tinsley; father of Marion Tinsley Bennett.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Ezra Brainerd Jr. (b. 1878) — of Muskogee, Muskogee County, Okla.; Washington, D.C. Born in Middlebury, Addison County, Vt., August 26, 1878. Republican. Lawyer; general counsel and vice-president, First National Bank of Muskogee; director, Farmers National Bank of Fort Gibson; director, First National Bank of Braggs; member, Interstate Commerce Commission, 1927-33. Presbyterian. Member, American Bar Association; Chi Psi; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Ezra Brainerd and Frances Viola (Rockwell) Brainerd; married, April 15, 1908, to Edith Maris Hubbard.
Charles H. Burke Charles Henry Burke (1861-1944) — also known as Charles H. Burke — of Pierre, Hughes County, S.Dak. Born near Batavia, Genesee County, N.Y., April 1, 1861. Republican. Lawyer; real estate investor; member of South Dakota state house of representatives 26th District, 1895-98; U.S. Representative from South Dakota, 1899-1907, 1909-15 (at-large 1899-1907, 1909-13, 2nd District 1913-15); candidate for U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1914; U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1921-29. Episcopalian. Member, Elks; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Ancient Order of United Workmen. Died in Washington, D.C., April 7, 1944 (age 83 years, 6 days). Interment at Riverside Cemetery, Pierre, S.Dak.
  Relatives: Son of Walter Burke and Sarah T. (Beckwith) Burke; married, January 14, 1886, to Caroline Schlosser.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: South Dakota Legislative Manual, 1903
  Joseph Wellington Byrns (1869-1936) — also known as Joseph W. Byrns; Jo Byrns — of Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn. Born near Cedar Hill, Robertson County, Tenn., July 20, 1869. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Tennessee state house of representatives, 1895-1901; Speaker of the Tennessee State House of Representatives, 1899-1901; member of Tennessee state senate, 1901; candidate for Presidential Elector for Tennessee; U.S. Representative from Tennessee, 1909-36 (6th District 1909-33, 5th District 1933-36); died in office 1936; Speaker of the U.S. House, 1935-36; died in office 1936. Member, Freemasons; Scottish Rite Masons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Elks; Redmen. Died in Washington, D.C., June 4, 1936 (age 66 years, 320 days). Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tenn.
  Relatives: Son of James H. Byrns and Mary E. (Jackson) Byrns; married, August 23, 1898, to Julia Woodard; father of Joseph Wellington Byrns Jr..
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Books about Joseph W. Byrns: Ann B. Irish, Joseph W. Byrns of Tennessee : A Political Biography
  Edward Francis Colladay (b. 1877) — also known as Edward F. Colladay — of Washington, D.C. Born in Virginia, Cass County, Ill., February 15, 1877. Republican. Lawyer; member of Republican National Committee from District of Columbia, 1917-40; delegate to Republican National Convention from District of Columbia, 1948, 1952 (alternate), 1956 (alternate). Presbyterian. Member, American Bar Association; Freemasons; Knights Templar. Burial location unknown.
Royal S. Copeland Royal Samuel Copeland (1868-1938) — also known as Royal S. Copeland — of Bay City, Bay County, Mich.; Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Mich.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y.; Suffern, Rockland County, N.Y. Born in Dexter, Washtenaw County, Mich., November 7, 1868. Homeopathic physician; university professor; mayor of Ann Arbor, Mich., 1901-03; U.S. Senator from New York, 1923-38; died in office 1938; delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1924 (member, Committee on Permanent Organization), 1936; candidate in Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, N.Y., 1937. Methodist. English ancestry. Member, Sons of the American Revolution; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Friendly Sons of St. Patrick; Delta Kappa Epsilon; Maccabees; Knights of Pythias; Elks; American Public Health Association. Died in Washington, D.C., June 17, 1938 (age 69 years, 222 days). Interment at Mahwah Cemetery, Mahwah, N.J.
  Relatives: Son of Roscoe Pulaski Copeland and Frances Jane (Holmes) Copeland; married, December 31, 1891, to Mary DePriest Ryan; married, July 15, 1908, to Frances Spalding; nephew of Joseph Tarr Copeland.
  Political family: Copeland family.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Image source: New York Red Book 1936
Homer S. Cummings Homer Stillé Cummings (1870-1956) — also known as Homer S. Cummings — of Stamford, Fairfield County, Conn.; Greenwich, Fairfield County, Conn. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., April 30, 1870. Democrat. Lawyer; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1900, 1904, 1920 (alternate), 1924 (member, Platform and Resolutions Committee), 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944 (member, Committee on Rules and Order of Business; speaker), 1948; member of Democratic National Committee from Connecticut, 1900-25; Chairman of Democratic National Committee, 1919-20; mayor of Stamford, Conn., 1900-02, 1904-06; candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut at-large, 1902; Vice-Chair of Democratic National Committee, 1913-19; candidate for U.S. Senator from Connecticut, 1916; candidate for Democratic nomination for President, 1920; U.S. Attorney General, 1933-39; candidate for Presidential Elector for Connecticut. Congregationalist. Member, American Bar Association; American Judicature Society; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Odd Fellows; Elks; Eagles. Died September 10, 1956 (age 86 years, 133 days). Interment at Woodland Cemetery, Stamford, Conn.
  Relatives: Son of Uriah C. Cummings and Audie Schuyler (Stillé) Cummings; married to Cecilia Waterbury.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Image source: Library of Congress
  George Fiske Dudley (b. 1867) — also known as George F. Dudley — of Washington, D.C. Born in Centerville, Wayne County, Ind., September 25, 1867. Episcopal priest; speaker, Democratic National Convention, 1912 ; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from District of Columbia, 1932. Episcopalian. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar; Lions; Loyal Legion. Burial location unknown.
  Benjamin Brown French (1800-1870) — also known as Benjamin B. French — of Washington, D.C. Born in Chester, Rockingham County, N.H., September 4, 1800. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from District of Columbia, 1856 (Honorary Secretary; member, Credentials Committee; speaker). Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar. Died in Washington, D.C., August 12, 1870 (age 69 years, 342 days). Interment at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Grandfather of Ellen F. FitzSimons; great-grandfather of William Henry Vanderbilt III.
  Political families: Whitney-Nye-Lincoln-Hay family of Massachusetts; Vanderbilt-Tuck-Pickering-Webster family; Butler-Perry-Belmont-Slidell family of Edgefield, South Carolina; Morgenthau-Lehman family of New York City, New York; Vanderbilt-Colby-Burden-French family of New York City, New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Samuel Austin Kendall (1859-1933) — also known as Samuel A. Kendall — of Jefferson, Greene County, Iowa; Myersdale, Somerset County, Pa. Born in Greenville Township, Somerset County, Pa., November 1, 1859. Republican. School teacher; superintendent of schools; officer in lumber manufacturing companies; president of two small railroads; vice-president of Citizens National Bank of Myersdale, Pa.; member of Pennsylvania state house of representatives from Somerset County, 1899-1902; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1904, 1908, 1912; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1919-33 (23rd District 1919-23, 24th District 1923-33); died in office 1933. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners. Died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, in the House Office Building, Washington, D.C., January 8, 1933 (age 73 years, 68 days). Interment at Hochstetler Cemetery, Greenville Township, Somerset County, Pa.
  Relatives: Married, September 22, 1883, to Minnie Edith Wiley.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier
John T. Morgan John Tyler Morgan (1824-1907) — also known as John T. Morgan — of Selma, Dallas County, Ala. Born in Athens, McMinn County, Tenn., June 20, 1824. Democrat. Lawyer; candidate for Presidential Elector for Alabama; delegate to Alabama secession convention, 1861; general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1876, 1900; U.S. Senator from Alabama, 1877-1907; died in office 1907. Southern Methodist. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar. Slaveowner. Died in Washington, D.C., June 11, 1907 (age 82 years, 356 days). Interment at Live Oak Cemetery, Selma, Ala.
  Relatives: Son of George Washington Morgan and Frances (Irby) Morgan; brother of Mary Catherine Morgan (who married William Parish Chilton); married, February 11, 1846, to Cornelia G. Willis; granduncle of Arthur Bounds Chilton.
  Political families: Pendleton-Lee family of Maryland; Jackson-Lee family (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  The World War II Liberty ship SS John Morgan (built 1943 at Baltimore, Maryland; collided, exploded, and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, 1943) was named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Men of Mark in America (1906)
  Harry Whinna Nice (1877-1941) — also known as Harry W. Nice — of Baltimore, Md. Born in Washington, D.C., December 5, 1877. Republican. Lawyer; delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1920; member, Committee to Notify Presidential Nominee, 1936; Governor of Maryland, 1935-39; defeated, 1919, 1938; candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1936; candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland, 1940. Methodist. Member, American Bar Association; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Grotto; Knights of Pythias; Odd Fellows; Moose; Junior Order; Elks; Patriotic Order Sons of America; Knights of Khorassan. Died in Richmond, Va., February 25, 1941 (age 63 years, 82 days). Interment at Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Md.
  Relatives: Son of Henry Nice and Drucilla (Arnold) Nice; married 1906 to Edna Viola Amos; uncle of Deeley K. Nice; granduncle of Harry Whinna Nice III.
  Political family: Nice family of Baltimore, Maryland.
  The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (opened 1940, named 1967), which carries U.S. Route 301 across the Potomac River from Newburg, Maryland to Dahlgren, Virginia, is named for him.
  See also National Governors Association biography — Wikipedia article
  James Lawson Norris (1845-1910) — also known as James L. Norris — of Washington, D.C. Born in Washington, D.C., October 15, 1845. Democrat. Lawyer; delegate to Democratic National Convention from District of Columbia, 1892, 1900, 1904 (member, Platform and Resolutions Committee); member of Democratic National Committee from District of Columbia, 1892-96; Treasurer of Democratic National Committee, 1898-1900. Member, Phi Kappa Psi; Freemasons; Royal Arch Masons; Knights Templar. Died in Washington, D.C., March 5, 1910 (age 64 years, 141 days). Interment at Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Son of John Edmund Norris and Eliza Tidings (Phillips) Norris; married 1867 to Annie Virginia Robinson; father of Grace James Norris (who married Arthur Pue Gorman Jr.).
  Political family: Gorman-Norris family of Laurel, Maryland.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Henry Riggs Rathbone (1870-1928) — also known as Henry R. Rathbone — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Kenilworth, Cook County, Ill. Born in Washington, D.C., February 12, 1870. Republican. Lawyer; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1916; U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large, 1923-28; defeated in primary, 1918; died in office 1928. Member, Delta Kappa Epsilon; Phi Delta Phi; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., July 15, 1928 (age 58 years, 154 days). Interment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Clara (Harris) Rathbone and Henry Reed Rathbone; married, December 22, 1903, to Laura Lucille Harney; nephew of Jared Lawrence Rathbone; grandson of Jared Lewis Rathbone and Ira Harris; second cousin twice removed of Daniel Burrows; second cousin four times removed of Ezekiel Cornell; third cousin once removed of Lorenzo Burrows.
  Political family: Cornell family of New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) — Born in Washington, D.C., November 6, 1854. Republican. Band conductor; composer; honored guest, Republican National Convention, 1924. Bavarian and Portugese ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Elks; Audubon Society. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1973. Died, in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel, Reading, Berks County, Pa., March 6, 1932 (age 77 years, 121 days). Interment at Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
  Relatives: Son of Antonio John Sousa and Marie Elizabeth (Trinkhaus) Sousa; married to Jane van Middlesworth Bellis; great-grandfather of John Philip Sousa IV.
  The John Philip Sousa Bridge (built 1938-41), which takes Pennsylvania Avenue over the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., is named for him.  — The World War II Liberty ship SS John Philip Sousa (built 1943 at Jacksonville, Florida; sold 1947; scrapped, 1965) was named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Thomas Sterling (1851-1930) — of Springfield, Sangamon County, Ill.; Redfield, Spink County, S.Dak.; Vermillion, Clay County, S.Dak. Born near Amanda, Fairfield County, Ohio, February 20, 1851. Republican. Lawyer; delegate to South Dakota state constitutional convention, 1889; member of South Dakota state senate 30th District, 1889-90; dean, college of law, University of South Dakota, 1901-11; U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1913-25; delegate to Republican National Convention from South Dakota, 1916. Congregationalist. Member, Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Ancient Order of United Workmen; American Bar Association; American Political Science Association. Died in 1930 (age about 79 years). Interment at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suitland, Md.
  Relatives: Son of Charles Sterling and Anna (Kessler) Sterling; brother of John Allen Sterling; married to Anna Dunn and Emma R. Rowe-Thayer.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
The Political Graveyard

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.
 
  The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
  The listings are incomplete; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.  
  Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.  
  The official URL for this page is: https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/DC/knights-templar.html.  
  Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.  
  If you are searching for a specific named individual, try the alphabetical index of politicians.  
Copyright notices: (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute fair use under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2023 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.
Site information: The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106. — This site is hosted by HDL. — The Political Graveyard opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on March 8, 2023.

Creative 
Commons License Follow polgraveyard on Twitter [Amazon.com]