Letter from the Masonic Employment Bureau to Washington Lodge, No. 3, 1911 July 18

Item

Identifier: A2019-108-001

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Scope and Contents

Letter from the Masonic Employment Bureau to Washington Lodge, No. 3, dated July 18, 1911. This letter announces the creation of a Masonic Employment Bureau by several Masonic Lodges in the Seattle area. The objective of the Bureau was to “secure employment for worthy Master Masons of local Lodges, or sojourning” Brothers. Includes an envelope addressed to Washington, Lodge, No. 3.

Dates

Creation: 1911 July 18

Creator

Masonic Employment Bureau (Seattle, Wash.) (Organization)
Freemasons. Washington Lodge, No. 3 (Recipient, Organization)

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Biographical / Historical

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The first Masonic employment bureau in the United States was created in the city of St. Louis in 1895 by a group of Freemasons who desired to see “worthy members of the Fraternity” find employment. The St. Louis bureau had a long and storied existence, which may have ended sometime in the mid- to late-1970s. It helped numerous Freemasons find employment during its existence, and in 1917, the Proceedings for the Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of for the state of Wisconsin reported that the St. Louis bureau had expanded its mission to include their members, as well as “their dependent ones.”

More importantly, the St. Louis Bureau inspired Freemasons to follow its example, and similar Masonic employment bureaus sprung up throughout the country. Builder Magazine reported that in 1924 alone, thirty Masonic Employment Bureaus existed, including the bureau in Seattle. The magazine also reported that as of 1922, twelve of these bureaus had found 16,578 individuals employment.

Written by John Coelho originally in this post.