John Wayne was never shy about expressing his opinions when it came to politics. He was a conservative, and a life-long Republican. He supported candidates that shared his great love of America, and those values that make America great. He was a patriot at heart, and developed friendships with many American Presidents, starting when he campaigned for Eisenhower. Then  Nixon. Ford. Reagan. 

His friendship with Richard Nixon was probably the closest. They exchanged letters frequently, and got together on many occasions. Shortly after Nixon won the election in 1968, the Duke wrote to him and said he better watch himself, because he was thinking about running for President himself. Nixon responded, “Duke is a better title than President!” 

However, even though he was a Republican, he respected every President that was elected by the people and sat in the Oval Office. He sent a telegram to John F. Kennedy after he was elected saying, “Congratulations, sir, from one of the loyal opposition.” He did the same with Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter replied to his telegram, “I trust the only area in which we will find ourselves in opposition is that of Party loyalty. I will need your help in the coming years, and hope to have your support.” Carter invited the Duke to Washington, DC to participate in his inauguration ceremonies, and John Wayne accepted. 

When John Wayne died in 1979, it was none other than Jimmy Carter that put what the nation was feeling over the loss of the famous actor into words. He said to the nation, “John Wayne was bigger than life . . . He was a symbol of so many of the qualities that make America great.” 

Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten something that John Wayne understood so well. We are all Americans, and we should always show respect to each other. And we should always put our Country before our politics. 

 ~TEC (originally posted 2/7/2018)

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is the award-winning author of the Famous American Freemasons series.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He currently serves as Secretary of St. Joseph-Ogden Lodge No. 970 (IL).  He formerly served the Grand Lodge of Illinois as the State Education Officer. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR) and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville.

published 2007 by Moon & Son Publishing

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years.  I started the Midnight Freemasons in about 2006!

Here’s a few interesting facts you may not know about Famous American Freemasons: 

 

General George Washington

-Although
George Washington seemed reluctant to accept the commission as
Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, he had done very little to
try and stop the nomination, and had taken to wearing his buff and blue
military uniform every day when the Second Continental Congress met.

John Philips Sousa

-As
a boy, John Philips Sousa accompanied his father to Gettysburg with the
Marine Marching Band, where he witnessed Abraham Lincoln give his
famous speech. He would later grow up to conduct that same band, and
would spend his life writing patriotic marches.

Roy Rogers & Trigger

-Roy
Roger’s famous horse Trigger had a job even before he met Roy.  He was
horse ridden by Olivia de Haviland in the Errol Flynn classic film Robin Hood.  Back then, Trigger’s name was “Golden Cloud.”

Harry S Truman

-Harry
S Truman cheated on his eye exam in order to qualify for military
service. He once joked that his weak eyesight had always been a problem,
in fact, he was unable to play baseball as a boy until his teammates
found him a job he could do that didn’t require good vision–umpire.

John Wayne

-John
Wayne’s nickname “Duke” came from his boyhood when he used to run
around around town with the family dog–a giant Airedale.  The local
firemen used to call the two “Big Duke” (the dog) and “Little Duke” (the
boy).

Now wasn’t that interesting?

~Todd E. Creason

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is the award-winning author of the Famous American Freemasons series.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He currently serves as Secretary of St. Joseph-Ogden Lodge No. 970 (IL).  He formerly served the Grand Lodge of Illinois as the State Education Officer. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR) and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville.