Records of Melvin M. Johnson, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States, 1915-1979

Collection

Identifier: A2019-001

Scope and Contents

See more See less

This collection documents the business of the Office of the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. It was created, organized, and maintained by Melvin Maynard Johnson and his long-time secretary, Ralph H. Sleeper. The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence to and from Melvin Maynard Johnson during his years as Sovereign Grand Commander, 1933-1953. Correspondence usually includes both the original letter, as well as a carbon-paper copy of Johnson's reply. Other records include tableaus, balustres, allocutions, speeches, publications, pamphlets, reports, newspaper clippings, travel arrangements and itineraries, invoices, budgets, investment and banking documents, meeting agendas and proceedings, event documentation, travel diaries, telegrams, obituaries and photographs that relate to the business of the Scottish Rite and Freemasonry. The collection also includes some of Johnson's personal business papers, as well as correspondence with his children, Dorothy Johnson Adams Gagel and Melvin Maynard Johnson, Jr.; with the Moosehead Lake postmaster and caretakers of Camp Ogontz; and with colleagues at Tufts University and Boston University School of Law. The majority of the correspondents were actively involved in Freemasonry, including members of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction's Supreme Council, Deputies, Active Members and Committee Members. Other correspondents were affiliated with the Order of DeMolay, the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association and the Masonic Service Association. There is correspondence from other Sovereign Grand Commanders, including Leon Abbott (1921-1932) and George Bushnell (1953-1965) of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, John H. Cowles of the Southern Jurisdiction, George Crawford of the Northern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliation, and Sovereign Grand Commanders from countries around the world. Johnson also corresponded with prominent citizens of the day, including politicians, judges, business leaders, publishers, retailers, scientists, musicians, and academics. The most notable correspondents found in this collection include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry Ford, J. Edgar Hoover, Margaret Mead, Margaret Chase Smith, and President Harry S. Truman.

Dates

Creation: 1915-1979
Creation: Majority of material found within 1933-1953

Creator

Johnson, Melvin Maynard, 1871-1957 (Person)
Scottish Rite (Masonic order). Supreme Council for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research except for material that is less than 50 years old, material containing Personal Identifying Information, and ritual material. See our Ritual Access Policy for more details.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in this collection may be governed by copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Please contact the Archivist regarding permission to publish material.

Biographical / Historical

See more See less

Melvin Maynard Johnson (1871-1957) was a prominent and influential Freemason, lawyer and academic. He was born on May 11, 1871 in Waltham Massachusetts, to Byron B. Johnson (1833-1915), the first mayor of the city of Waltham, and Louisa H. Johnson (1832-1905). He attended Waltham public schools and graduated from Tufts College in 1892. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law (BUSL) in 1895. Following a successful career as an attorney, Johnson returned to BUSL as a professor in 1918. He was appointed Dean of the Law School in 1935, a position he held until his retirement from Boston University in 1942. Johnson was raised a Master Mason in Monitor Lodge (Waltham) in 1892. He served as the Lodge's Worshipful Master from 1902-1903. He also served as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts from 1913-1916.

Johnson was the first full-time Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, a position he held from 1933-1953. Johnson led the Scottish Rite through both the Great Depression and World War II and established the Scottish Rite Benevolent Foundation. One of Johnson's key interests was mental health and he helped create and lead the Scottish Rite's Schizophrenia (Dementia Praecox) Research Program, which was one of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction's central charities for decades. In addition to these accomplishments, Johnson was a historian of early American Freemasonry and the author of two books on the topic, Freemasonry in America Prior to 1750 (1917) and The Beginnings of Freemasonry in America (1924).

Johnson was married to Ina Delphene Freeman (1873-1947). They had two children, Dorothy Johnson Adams Gagel (1898-1950) and Melvin Maynard Johnson, Jr. (1909-1965). His son was a United States Marine Corps officer and a noted designer of firearms. Johnson and his wife were longtime residents of Brookline, Massachusetts. They also owned Camp Ogontz on Moosehead Lake in Maine, from which Johnson was well-known to conduct Scottish Rite business during the summer months. Johnson retired as Sovereign Grand Commander on December 31, 1953, and died in Boston, Massachusetts on December 18, 1957. He is buried with his wife and daughter at Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Full Extent

57.92 Linear Feet (139 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Spanish; Castilian

French

Portuguese

Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan

German

Italian

Additional Description

Abstract

Melvin Maynard Johnson (1871-1957) was a prominent and influential Freemason, lawyer and academic. Johnson was born on May 11, 1871, in Waltham Massachusetts. He attended Tufts College and Boston University School of Law (BUSL). Following a successful career as an attorney, he returned to BUSL as a professor in 1918. He was Dean of the Law School from 1935 to1942. Johnson was the first full-time Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, a position he held from 1933-1953. Johnson was married to Ina Delphene Freeman (1873-1947). They had two children, Dorothy Johnson Adams Gagel (1898-1950) and Melvin Maynard Johnson, Jr. (1909-1965). Johnson owned Camp Ogontz, on Moosehead Lake in Maine, from where he was well-known to conduct Scottish Rite business during the summer months. Johnson retired as Sovereign Grand Commander on December 31, 1953, and died in Boston, Massachusetts on December 18, 1957. The bulk of this collection is comprised of correspondence to and from Melvin Maynard Johnson during his years as Sovereign Grand Commander, 1933-1953. It was created, organized, and maintained by Melvin Maynard Johnson and his long-time secretary, Ralph H. Sleeper. The majority of the correspondents were actively involved in Freemasonry, including members of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction's Supreme Council, Deputies, Active Members and Committee Members. Other correspondents were affiliated with the Order of DeMolay, the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, the Knights Templar, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, the Masonic Service Association, C.A.R.E., the Scottish Rite Benevolent Foundation, the Schizophrenia (Dementia Praecox) Research Program, and the National Association for Mental Health (NAMH). There is correspondence from other Sovereign Grand Commanders, including Leon Abbott (1921-1932) and George Bushnell (1953-1965) of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, John H. Cowles of the Southern Jurisdiction, George Crawford of the Northern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliation, and Sovereign Grand Commanders from countries around the world. Johnson corresponded with prominent citizens of the day, including politicians, judges, business leaders, scientists, musicians, and academics. The most notable correspondents found in this collection are Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry Ford, J. Edgar Hoover, Margaret Mead, Margaret Chase Smith, and President Harry S. Truman.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into 14 series. Subject Files series are arranged in original order created by the Office of the Sovereign Grand Commander. The remainder of the series were at some point separated from the original files (see Series Descriptions) but are now united with the whole and inserted into the collection using an imposed order. Original order was maintained within each series unless otherwise noted. Please see Archivist for a complete Container List. Series I: Carriage House Records, 1926-1939 Series II: Subject Files (A), 1925-1957 Series III: Subject Files (B) Actives, 1934-1954 Series IV: Subject Files (C) Deputy Files, 1934-1953 Series V: Subject Files (F) Clandestine Masonry Files, 1943-1950 Series VI: Subject Files (G) Fraternal Relations, 1934-1957 Series VII: Subject Files (H) DeMolay Files, 1946-1947 Series VIII: Subject Files, Miscellaneous, 1932-1961 Series IX: Letters, History of the Supreme Council, 1937 Series X: Constitution Revision, 1941-1979 Series XI: Rituals, 1934-1953 Series XII: M. Johnson Travel Diaries, 1935-1953 Series XIII: Papers of Melvin M. Johnson, SGC, 1915-1957 Series XIV: Non-Masonic Business Papers, 1915-1951

Researcher Note: When searching the collection, subjects may be filed in multiple series and multiple times within the same series. Correspondence may be filed alphabetically by correspondent’s last name, by state name, by business name, and/or by Lodge name.