10 Public Figures Who Were Actually In Secret Societies
When you're this famous, trying to hide the fact that you're a member of a secret organization is a fool's errand. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining ten known figures who were associated with secret fellowships or members of fraternal organizations.
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00:00 A baseball with my John Hancock on it went over a fence and you can't get it back, right?
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining 10 known figures who were associated with secret fellowships or members of fraternal organizations.
00:13 Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of these United States of America, at your service.
00:18 Number 10. Richard Nixon, the Order of the Red Friars.
00:22 Because I understand the system, I believe I can control it. Maybe not control it totally, but tame it enough to make it do some good.
00:29 Founded back in 1913, the Order of the Red Friars was a secret society at North Carolina's Duke University.
00:35 The Order disbanded in the early 1970s, but the remnants formed what is now Duke's largest secret organization, the Trident Society.
00:43 The activities of this organization remain largely unknown, but we do know that Richard Nixon was once a member.
00:49 Yeah, sure. A long time ago.
00:54 A top student, Nixon attended the Duke University School of Law and even became president of the Duke Bar Association.
01:00 Owing to the intense secrecy of the club, we do not know what Nixon did inside the Order of the Red Friars, but school records prove that he was indeed a member.
01:09 I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow.
01:12 Number 9. Charlie Chaplin, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
01:16 We're definitely very, like, one of those American secret societies that you hear about from the Gilded Age.
01:23 Stretching back to the early 18th century, Odd Fellows is an Old English fraternity that eventually evolved into the more international Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
01:31 This group was founded in Baltimore in 1819. Its objectives are numerous, but according to their own command, Odd Fellows visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphaned.
01:42 She encourages others to join, too, if not for the friends alone. But being part of a secret society is pretty cool, too.
01:49 Several well-known individuals have been identified as members, including Charlie Chaplin, the legendary silent actor who played the Tramp in a number of classic films.
01:57 To this day, the Order's website proudly lists him as a notable Odd Fellow.
02:01 Mr. Chaplin, I am a great admirer of yours.
02:06 Number 8. Henry Ford, Freemasonry.
02:09 There existed a curious connection to a secret society that had migrated to North America centuries earlier.
02:15 Perhaps the most famous fraternal organization in the world, Freemasonry has been around since the 14th century and has attracted some of history's most notable names.
02:24 According to its website, Freemasonry uses building analogies to teach members how to lead productive lives that benefit the communities that they live in.
02:32 There are even some people who argue that the United States, in its creation, in its inception, even in its constitutional order, was a Masonic Republic.
02:41 One of its most famous members was Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company and father of the Assembly Line.
02:46 According to the Grand Lodge of New York, Ford's time with the group dates back to 1894, when he was raised in Detroit's Palestine Lodge No. 357.
02:55 Ford took great pride in the organization, calling Masonry the best balance wheel the United States has.
03:00 They had values of religious tolerance and cosmopolitanism and rights and formal equality between all citizens.
03:08 Number 7. Ed Sullivan, Knights of Columbus
03:11 Knights of Columbus, that hurts!
03:13 A legend of American television, Ed Sullivan hosted the iconic Ed Sullivan Show from 1948 to 1971 and was paramount in introducing the Beatles to American audiences.
03:24 At the time, his introduction of the band was the most watched program in television history, with over 70 million people watching them perform live on stage.
03:31 Ladies and gentlemen, here are four of the nicest youngsters we've ever had on our stage. The Beatles! Bring 'em on!
03:39 Sullivan was a member of the Knights of Columbus, a very famous religious fraternity that promotes and funds a number of Catholic causes.
03:45 Membership is limited exclusively to Catholic men, and as of 2023, over 2 million people call themselves active Knights.
03:53 At the Knights of Columbus?
03:55 Yeah, Frank Costante's getting me a room in his lodge.
03:59 Number 6. Ulysses S. Grant, Independent Order of Oddfellows
04:03 Grant immediately begins to assess the situation. It is almost as if battle clarified his mind, and he could see the central thing he needed to do.
04:13 As you see throughout this list, a surprising number of American presidents were members of secret orders.
04:18 Really gets those conspiracy theory juices flowing, doesn't it?
04:21 Like Charlie Chaplin, American President Ulysses S. Grant was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows.
04:26 Grant reportedly joined the order sometime around 1852, when Julia Grant became pregnant with Ulysses Jr.
04:33 There's just one country. You and I were citizens of that country. I'm fighting to protect it from our rebels.
04:40 This was long before Grant became the 18th President of the United States in 1869.
04:45 But Grant still had affiliations with the group after he became president, and in 1869, the year of his inauguration, he was invited to attend the order's 50th anniversary celebration.
04:55 We've won the war. Now, you have to lead us out of it.
05:01 Number 5. Babe Ruth, Knights of Columbus
05:04 You never heard of the Sultan of Swat?
05:06 The Titan of Terror.
05:08 The Colossus of Clout?
05:09 The Colossus of Clout.
05:11 The King of Crash, man.
05:12 Born George Herman Ruth, the Great Bambino is an American icon and one of the most famous athletes in the history of sport.
05:18 Ruth won seven World Series titles and broke the home run record in 1919.
05:23 He then broke his own record on three consecutive occasions, remaining the official holder for over 40 years.
05:28 You're the Babe. The Sultan of Swat. The King of Crash.
05:34 Crash and a hundred other dopey names.
05:36 It wasn't until 1961 that Roger Maris broke Ruth's record with suitably 61 home runs.
05:41 Ruth was raised in St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, and the school instilled in him a lifelong devotion to Catholicism.
05:48 Ruth was initiated into the Knights of Columbus and was known to be very charitable,
05:53 donating large sums of money to St. Mary's and visiting the needy in orphanages and hospitals.
05:57 That is the bat from the called shot.
06:00 Yep.
06:01 Damn.
06:02 Number 4. Thomas Jefferson, the FHC Society
06:05 Someone's gotta keep the American promise. You simply must meet Thomas. Thomas!
06:11 I'm Thomas Jefferson.
06:14 I'm so excited.
06:17 We return to the American presidency for Thomas Jefferson, who served as the country's third head of state between 1801 and 1809.
06:25 At age 16, Jefferson attended Virginia's College of William and Mary, studying a number of subjects including math and philosophy.
06:31 Thomas, allow me to present my wife.
06:35 Mrs. Adams is already well known to me.
06:38 Jefferson was a very popular student, often partying, goofing around, and eventually enrolling in the school's Flat Hat Club.
06:44 This is the unofficial name of the FHC Society, which was founded at the school in 1750 and is therefore the oldest collegiate secret society in America.
06:52 Despite this renown, Jefferson later admitted that it had no useful object and only consisted of six students, including himself.
06:59 I'm embarrassed to admit it.
07:01 I'm resolved to renounce embarrassment in favor of enjoyment.
07:05 Number 3. Theodore Roosevelt, various
07:08 That's right, you better run, boy!
07:10 You hear that? That mustachioed horseman ain't always gonna be there to protect you, you hear me?
07:16 One of the most popular presidents in American history, Theodore Roosevelt was certainly a busy man.
07:21 Aside from, you know, running the country, Roosevelt was also enrolled in a number of secret societies and fraternities.
07:27 You'll have to excuse me, though. The hunt is afoot.
07:32 He was a very prominent Freemason and referenced the secret organization in a number of personal letters.
07:37 When he addressed the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1902, he called Freemasonry "the place where the idea of our government was realized as far as it is humanly possible."
07:46 He was also enrolled in a lumber fraternity called the International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, a non-profit called Sons of the American Revolution, and the Explorers Club, a professional society centered around scientific discovery.
07:57 To Theodore Roosevelt, you are like the wind and I like the lion.
08:05 Number 2. George H.W. Bush, Skull and Bones
08:08 Dr. Ian Smith says there's top-notch security here because over the years people have tried to break in to discover the rare books, artwork, and valuable artifacts that are inside.
08:18 Yale University has three main secret societies, Scroll and Key, Wolfshed, and Skull and Bones.
08:24 Future President George H.W. Bush belonged to the last name.
08:28 Established back in 1832, Skull and Bones worships a fictional goddess named Eulogia, follows time five minutes out of sync, and is known for stealing valuable keepsakes around campus.
08:38 The latter practice is called crooking and is an important aspect of Skull and Bones culture.
08:42 The secret society at Yale University is warning students about an imposter.
08:46 Skull and Bones says someone has been calling students to recruit them and then asking them to complete a humiliating challenge.
08:53 Bush was a bonesman during his time at Yale and was given the nickname "M'Gaag," named after the biblical figure mentioned in Genesis.
09:00 Years later, Bush's son George W. would also enroll in the Skull and Bones, just one of many examples of Bush following in his father's footsteps.
09:07 You do learn very quickly how important these clubs are, not just socially but historically speaking.
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09:26 George Washington had very close ties to Freemasonry, and these ties have continued long after death.
09:46 Washington joined the order at just 20 years old, having done so at Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 in Virginia.
09:52 Also in Virginia is the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, a towering building standing over 300 feet and displaying a large Masonic symbol at its base.
10:01 And fun fact, when Washington was inaugurated as the country's first president, he swore on a Bible taken from New York's St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 1.
10:09 If you will please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.
10:15 Finally, Washington was considered for the role of Grand Master of the hypothetical Grand Lodge of the United States, but this idea was abandoned in favor of independent state lodges.
10:25 So yeah, he was closely connected.
10:27 If there is one place on the planet where the principles and the foundational teachings of Freemasonry had the greatest impact, that would be the United States of America.
10:38 Did you know about their secret memberships? Let us know in the comments below.
10:42 "They formed a new brotherhood called the Freemasons in honor of the builders of the great temple."
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10:55 [outro music]