History of the Western Masonic Jurisdiction

WESTERN SUPREME COUNCIL

Established in 1864 by Baron A. Hugo Debulow

History of Western Masonic Jurisdiction

'YEAR OF LIGHT 5864'

The Baron Auguste Hugo De'Bulow, a French nobleman, Sovereign Inspector General of the Supreme Council of France, established the Supreme Council of the United States of America – Western Masonic Jurisdiction in the city of New York on November 30, 1864. The Supreme Council of France voted a Sovereign Grand Inspector De'Bulow on June 9, 1860. In 1862, he was named representative of the Hayes Council, having been received in that body with the honors due his rank on October 19, 1864.

On November 30, 1864, with the silent acquiescence of the Hayes Council to which he was fraternally bound, Baron De'Bulow established the Supreme Council of the United States with himself as Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander, and the following other officers: Patrick Reason, Lieutenant Grand Commander; Dr. peter W. Ray, Adjoint Lieutenant Grand Commander; Ramsom Wake, Grand orator; George Laurence, Grand Secretary; and Alexander peters, Master of Ceremonies. Many members of this Supreme Council were drawn from the then United Grand Lodge of New York (now Prince hall Affiliation) with which the Baron kept very cordial relations and to which he paid various visits. The following served as Sovereign Grand Commanders of the Supreme Council of the United States up to 1897: Baron Auguste De Bulow, from 1864 to 1870; Patrick Reason, from 1870 to 1879; Dr. Peter W. Ray, from 1879 to 1892; A.B. Allen, from 1892 to 1897.

During the administration of A. B. Allen, the De'Bulow Supreme Council became moribund, almost extinct, membership having dwindled considerably. In the meantime, one Dorsey F. Seville, of Washington, D.C. was organizing in 1897, a council under the name National Supreme Council; and proposed to A. B. Allen the merger of the two Supreme Councils into one integrated body. This was bitterly opposed to by Dr. Peter W. Ray and his followers in the Council, and brought about a split between A. B. Allen with his followers and Dr. Ray with his followers. It was Dr. Ray’s contention that the Supreme Council of the United States had been established under historical circumstances of legitimacy and regularity, and it should not lose its identity and legitimacy by being integrated and merged with an irregular and clandestine body.

To overcome Dr. Ray’s objection it was agreed and determined that the merger should be affected on condition that the De'Bulow Council would not lose its personality as Supreme Council but both would co-exist in a fraternal union less then one common name. To perpetuate this duality of co-existence, it was agreed that at all times there should be two Sovereign Grand Commanders; one with the title of Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander and the other with the title of Deputy Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander, this latter being an unorthodox creation, to represent the De Bulow Council in the merged bodies.

Even with this concession, Dr. Ray never accepted the merger, and retired from all activities taking all the records with him. On October 17, 1897, the two merged bodies were incorporated in Washington, D.C., under the corporate name of “The National Supreme Council of Grand Inspector Generals (SIC) of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Thirty-Third Degree for North America” with the following as its first officers: D.F. Seville, Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander; A.B. Allen, Deputy Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander (representing Supreme Council of the United States, Western Jurisdiction (De'bulow's Council) ); Bishop J.W. Allstock, First Lieutenant Grand Commander; Rev. A.R. Robinson, Second Lieutenant Grand Commander; Oliver B. Jones, Grand Orator; I.L. Harden, Grand Secretary; Rev. A.M. Machack, Grand Treasurer General; J.F. Needham, Grand Chancellor; and W.C. Mitchell, Grand Keeper of the Seal. The following served as Sovereign Grand Commanders under the merger: Dorsey F. Seville, 1897 to 1911, H. M. Rennick, 1911 to 1920; W. H. Benderson, 1920 to 1948; W. J. Fitzpatrick, 1948 to 1957 (D.F.Seville with John G. Jones created the United Supreme Council, Southern Western Jurisdiction; in addition to York Rite and Knight Templer Masonry).

The officer of Deputy Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander, representing the De' Bulow Council has been held at various times, after A. B. Allen, by Dr. R. G. Butcher, and Ramon A. Martinez, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the United States. In 1953 – 1954. W. J. Fitzpatrick caused the said office to be abolished in flagrant violation of the co-existence arrangement with one common name under which the two Supreme Councils had been operating, with two Sovereign Grand Commanders and duality of membership.

In view of the violation of the co-existence agreement by the arbitrary and unilateral action of the National Supreme Council, six Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the National Supreme Council, led by ILL. Ramon A. Martinez, representative of the Supreme Council of the United States within the National Supreme Council and the Last Deputy Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander before the abolition of the office, on August 10, 1957, seceded from and repudiated membership from the National Supreme Council of the United States resuscitated the name of the Supreme Council of the United States, and after conferring the 33rd Degree on three Sublime Prince to form a Council of the Great Nine, on the same date reestablished it as an independent body, under the name of the Supreme Council of the United States of America – Western Jurisdiction – which was filed with the office of Corporations of the District of Columbia, on August 12, 1957.

The first officers after revival were as follows: ILL. Ramon A. Martinez, Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander; ILL. R. Carlson Smith, Lieutenant Sovereign Grand Commander; ILL. W. W. Hoover, Grand Prior and Expert; ILL. W. H. Gibbons, Grand Chancellor; ILL. Wesley Rudder, Grand Orator and ILL. Minister of State; ILL. Nathaniel A. Brown, Secretary General, ILL. H. E.; Elton H. Nightingale, ILL. Grand Treasurer General; ILL. William Carson, Grand Master of Ceremonies; and ILL. Marion Boykin, Grand Captain of the Guard.

ILL. W.T. Gray, III, 33°, active member of the Supreme Council of the United States, Western Jurisdiction was elected the Most Puissant Sovereign Commander and Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of the United States. ILL. W. T. Gray then conferred the 33rd Degree on three Sublime prince to form the Council of the Great Nine, on the same date reestablished it as the Supreme Council of the United States of America, Western Masonic Jurisdiction and Adopting the Supreme Grand Chapter and Ester Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Stars, Western Jurisdiction.

The Supreme Council of the United States Western Jurisdiction has established regular Scottish Rite bodies under its 1864 authority and its Ancient French Rituals (english translated in 1959) - New York, District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Puerto and the Virgin Islands.

The Supreme Council of the United States, it territories and dependencies, Western Jurisdiction are custodians of the official history of Debulow's Council its recorded linage and/or its adopted rite organizations.

Thank you, for taking the time to review our history.

Fraternally,

/s/

W. T. Gray, III, 33°
Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander