•
Amadou Hampâté Bâ (1901–1991),
Malian writer and ethnologist •
Frederick H. Babbitt (1859–1931), American politician, president
Vermont State Senate 1912–13 •
Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782), European composer. Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235, London. •
Nahum J. Bachelder (1854–1934), 49th governor of
New Hampshire •
Arthur P. Bagby (1794–1858), tenth governor of
Alabama. Served as grand orator of the Grand Lodge of Alabama. •
Carl Edward Bailey (1894–1948), 31st governor of
Arkansas. Received 32° at
Little Rock, 25 May 1928. •
Nat Bailey (1902–1978), American-born Canadian restaurateur, founder of
White Spot. Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 72,
Vancouver. •
Theodorus Bailey (1805–1877),
United States Navy officer during the American Civil War. Raised in Washington Lodge No. 21, New York City, on 3 March 1829. •
Bryant Baker (1881–1970), British-born American sculptor. Sculpted the 17 foot bronze of George Washington at the
Washington Masonic National Memorial in
Alexandria, Virginia. Member of Constitutional Lodge No. 294 at
Beverley, Yorkshire, England. •
Nathaniel B. Baker (1818–1876), 24th governor of New Hampshire. A member of Western Star Lodge No. 100,
Clinton, Iowa. •
Simon Strousse Baker (1866–1932), sixth president of
Washington & Jefferson College •
Antonio González de Balcarce (1774–1819),
Argentine military commander in the early 19th century •
Mark Baldwin (1863–1929), pitcher in Major League Baseball. •
Harold Ballard (1903–1990), National Hockey League team owner (
Toronto Maple Leafs). Corinthian No. 481, GRC,
Toronto. •
Hosea Ballou (1771–1852), American
Universalist clergyman and theological writer. Member of Warren Lodge No. 23 at
Woodstock, Vermont, and served as master in 1807. •
Augustus Bampfylde, 2nd Baron Poltimore (1837–1908), British politician, member of the
Apollo University Lodge •
Nathaniel P. Banks (1816–1894), 24th governor of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Union general during the American Civil War. Member of Monitor Lodge,
Waltham, Massachusetts. •
Parke M. Banta (1891–1970), congressman from Missouri. Raised in Potosi Lodge No. 131 at
Potosi, Missouri, about 1916, served as master in 1923. •
Orion M. Barber (1857–1930), Vermont state politician and a judge of the
U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals •
Guy K. Bard (1895–1953), Pennsylvania educator; later became a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania •
Isaac D. Barnard (1791–1834), U.S. senator from Pennsylvania •
Henry A. Barnum (1833–1892),
Union Army officer during the American Civil War and a recipient of the
Medal of Honor. Member of Syracuse Lodge No. 102,
Syracuse, New York. •
Samuel Barrett (1879–1965), American anthropologist and linguist who studied Native American peoples •
Harold Roe Bartle (1901–1974), American businessman, philanthropist, Boy Scout executive, and professional public speaker. Served two terms as mayor of
Kansas City, Missouri. Member of Lebanon Lodge No. 87 in Kentucky plus the Ararat Shriners of Kansas City, Missouri. Initiated: Australian Lodge of Harmony No. 556 English Constitution in Sydney on 13 March 1878. •
William Barton (1748–1831), officer in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence who retired with the rank of colonel. Became a member of St. John's Lodge,
Providence, Rhode Island, in 1779. •
Charles Bathurst (1867–1958),
Governor-General of New Zealand, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, initiated in
Apollo University Lodge •
Sir Michael Hicks Beach, 8th Baronet (1809–1854), British politician, initiated in the
Apollo University Lodge •
George Lafayette Beal (1825–1896), American politician from
Maine who served in the federal forces during the American Civil War. Member of Oxford Lodge No. 18,
Norway, Maine. •
William S. Beardsley (1901–1954), 31st governor of
Iowa •
Eugène de Beauharnais (1781–1824), Viceroy of Italy under Napoleon •
Campbell E. Beaumont (1883–1954), U.S. federal judge from
Kentucky •
Gunning Bedford Jr. (1747–1812), signer of the
U.S. Constitution; first Grand Master of Masons in
Delaware •
William Kirkpatrick Riland Bedford, British clergyman and antiquary, member of
Apollo University Lodge •
Lyall T. Beggs (1899–1973),
Wisconsin lawyer and politician. Past commander in chief of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly. •
Irwin Belk (1922–2018), CEO of
Belk, a national
department store chain. Under his leadership, Belk Inc. became the largest, privately owned department store chain in the United States. Belk served in the
North Carolina House of Representatives from 1959 to 1962 and the
North Carolina Senate from 1963 to 1966. In 1999, President
Bill Clinton appointed Belk as an alternative delegate to the
United Nations. Belk was a member and retired elder of Myers Park Presbyterian Church. •
John Montgomery Belk (1920–2007), head of the
Belk department store chain and
mayor of
Charlotte, North Carolina, for four terms (1969–1977). Petitioned (21 January 1946), Initiated (4 March 1946), Passed (15 April 1946) and Raised (12 August 1946) all in Excelsior Lodge No. 261 of Charlotte. •
Andrew Bell (1726–1809), Scottish printer, founder of the
Encyclopædia Britannica •
Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), author of the U.S.
Pledge of Allegiance. Member of Little Falls Lodge No. 181,
Little Falls, New York. •
Conrado Benitez (1889–1971),
Philippine statesman. Helped write the
Philippine constitution. Grand Master of the Philippines. •
Carville Benson (1872–1929), congressman from
Maryland •
Silvio Berlusconi (1936–2023), Italian media tycoon and politician, Prime Minister of Italy. Initiated in Lodge
Propaganda Due; expelled in 1981 (some say 1976) by the Grand Orient of Italy. •
Remigio Morales Bermúdez (1836–1894), President of Peru from 1890 to 1894 •
Ben Bernie (1891–1943), American jazz violinist and radio personality •
Tom Berry (1879–1951), 14th governor of
South Dakota •
Jackson Edward Betts (1904–1993), congressman from Ohio. Raised in Findlay Lodge No. 227,
Findlay, Ohio, in 1931. •
Robert Worth Bingham (1871–1937), politician, judge, newspaper publisher and U.S. ambassador to the
United Kingdom. Past master of Falls City Lodge No. 376 of
Louisville, Kentucky. At a meeting of the Grand Lodge of England, in the presence of the King and 8,000 Masons, he was created a past senior grand warden of that grand lodge. •
Henry Bishop, English composer of "
Home! Sweet Home!" •
William W. Blackney (1876–1963), congressman from
Michigan •
Mel Blanc (1908–1989), American voice actor. Mid Day Lodge No. 188, Oregon. •
Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899), three-time president of
Venezuela •
Sol Bloom (1870–1949), congressman from New York •
Cezar Bolliac (1813–1881), Romanian politician, amateur archaeologist, journalist and
Romantic poet •
Thomas Bond (1712–784), American physician and surgeon. In 1751 he co-founded the
Pennsylvania Hospital, the first medical facility in the American colonies, with
Benjamin Franklin. Deputy grand master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1749. •
Andrés Bonifacio (1863–1897), leader during
Philippine Revolution from Spain. Taliba Lodge No. 165 under Gran Oriente Español (Spanish Grand Lodge). •
Nicholas Bonneville (1760–1828), French bookseller, printer, journalist, and writer; also a political figure of some relevance at the time of the
French Revolution. In 1788 he published a book entitled
The Jesuits driven from Freemasonry and their weapon broken by the Freemasons (translation). His theory was that the Jesuits had introduced the history of the life and death of the
Templars into the symbolic degrees, and the doctrine of vengeance for the political and religious crime of their destruction. •
Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941), American sculptor, planned and started sculpture on
Mount Rushmore. Raised in Howard Lodge No. 35. •
Lincoln Borglum (1912–1986), son of
Gutzon Borglum; completed the
Mount Rushmore project. Raised in Battle River Lodge No. 92. however, another source indicates Melrose Lodge No. 63, California. •
Solon Borland (1808–1864), newspaperman, soldier, diplomat, Democratic U.S. senator from Arkansas and a
Confederate officer during the American Civil War •
John Boswell (1532?–1609), 3rd Laird of
Auchinleck. Considered by some scholars to be the first recorded non-operative Freemason. Present at a meeting of the (operative) Lodge of Edinburgh on 8 June 1600, and like his operative brethren, attested to the minutes by his mark. •
Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889), Italian
Romantic composer, conductor, and a
double bass virtuoso. Initiated 20 June 1849 in the Bank of England Lodge No. 263, London. •
Thomas E. Bourke (1896–1978),
U.S. Marine Corps general who, during
World War II, commanded Marine artillery units at the battles of
Guadalcanal,
Tarawa and
Leyte. At the end of World War II, he commanded the
5th Marine Division in the occupation of
Japan, and the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. •
Oden Bowie (1826–1894),
34th governor of Maryland. Member of Centre Lodge No. 108,
Baltimore. •
William D. Boyce (1858–1929), founder of the
Boy Scouts of America •
James E. Boyd (1834–1906), Irish-born American businessman and politician.
Seventh governor of
Nebraska. Member of Capitol Lodge No. 3,
Omaha. •
Henry D. Bradley (1893–1973), publisher of the
St. Joseph News-Press; first member of the Bradley family which controls the
News-Press & Gazette Company media company. Member of Sanford L. Collins Lodge No. 396 of
Toledo, Ohio. •
John Bradstreet (1714–1774),
British Army major general who served during
King George's War, the
French and Indian War, and
Pontiac's Rebellion. Also served as the
Commodore-Governor for
Newfoundland. Mason in
Nova Scotia. •
David Legge Brainard ((1856–1946)), American
Arctic explorer and
brigadier general. Member of Marathon Lodge No. 438,
Marathon, New York. •
James T. Brand (1886–1964), 31st Chief Justice of the
Oregon Supreme Court. A judge at the
Nuremberg trials. Member of
Apollo University Lodge •
John Breathitt (1786–1834),
11th governor of Kentucky. Member of Russellville Lodge No. 17 of
Russellville, Kentucky. Was a member of Lodge St. Olaus T.D. Tre Søiler No. 8 in
Oslo. Formally excluded (expelled) from Freemasonry in 2011. •
Bernard Bresslaw (1934–1993), British actor •
Lionel Brett (1911–1990), Nigerian jurist and member of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria. Member of
Apollo University Lodge. •
Earl L. Brewer (11 August 1869 – 10 March 1942),
38th governor of Mississippi Declared "unworthy" by Le Trait d'Union on 6 September 1889. Joined in the lodge Le Chavalier du Travail, in Paris in 1895. •
William A. Brodie, laid the foundation stone of the
Statue of Liberty on 5 August 1884 as Grand Master of New York •
Daniel Russell Brown (1848–1919), 43rd
governor of Rhode Island •
Charles Farrar Browne (1834–1867), American humor writer, better known under his
nom de plume "Artemus Ward". Received the Masonic degrees in Manhattan Lodge No. 62, New York City, in the fall of 1863. •
Stanley Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (1883–1967), eighth
Prime Minister of Australia, initiated in the Old Melburnians Lodge No. 317 UGLV •
Walter Bruchhausen (1892–1976),
U.S. federal judge •
Alexander Buckner (1785–1833),
U.S. senator from
Missouri. First Grand Master of
Indiana. •
Alfred L. Bulwinkle (1883–1950),
congressman from
North Carolina •
Edmund Burke, Irish politician and philosopher •
Alexander Burnes (1805–1841), Scottish explorer and diplomat associated with
the Great Game •
Jacob Burnet (1770–1853), early leading citizen and
U.S. senator from
Ohio. Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ohio in 1810–1812. •
George Burnham (1868–1939),
congressman from
San Diego •
George Burrington (1682–1759),
governor of the
Province of North Carolina from January 1724 to April 1725, and again from February 1731 to 1734. Member of the lodge at the "King's Arms on New Bond Street" in London, and his name also appears on the list of members of "Bear and Harrow in Butcher Roe", London, in 1730. •
Harlan J. Bushfield (1882–1948), 16th
U.S. senator from and
16th governor of
South Dakota. Member of St. Lawrence Lodge No. 39 at
Miller, South Dakota. •
Sir Edward Buxton, 2nd Baronet (1812–1858), British politician. Member of
Apollo University Lodge. •
Cyriel Buysse, Flemish nationalist writer •
Clovis E. Byers (1899–1973),
U.S. Army lieutenant general who served in the
Korean War and
World War II. One-time commander of the
82nd Airborne. Received EA degree on 1 April 1923 in Laredo Lodge No. 547,
Laredo, Texas, and the FC on 2 November 1925. Master Mason degree in Star of the East Lodge No. 650 in
Yokohama, Japan, on 3 November 1947. •
George Byng, 6th Viscount Torrington (1768–1831),
Royal Navy officer •
Harry C. "Curly" Byrd (1889–1970), president of the
University of Maryland, College Park, from 1936 to 1954. Raised in Harmony Lodge No. 17,
Washington, D.C., in 1914. •
Harry F. Byrd,
governor of Virginia, U.S. senator from
Virginia. Hiram Lodge No. 21,
Winchester, Virginia. •
Richard E. Byrd, U.S. admiral. Initiated in Federal Lodge No. 1 and founded First Antarctic Lodge No. 777 in 1935. •
Frank M. Byrne (1858–1927), eighth
governor of South Dakota •
James F. Byrnes, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (1941–1942) •
Joseph W. Byrns Sr. (1869–1936), 46th
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Member of Phoenix Lodge No. 131 and Cumberland Chapter No. 1, R.A.M. of
Nashville, Tennessee. •
Joseph W. Byrns Jr. (1903–1973), one-term
congressman from
Tennessee. Member of Phoenix Lodge No. 131 of Nashville. •
John Byrom (1692–1763), English poet and the inventor of a revolutionary system of
shorthand. Listed as a member of a lodge held at The Swan in
Long Acre, England, 1750. ==C==