Misplaced Pages

#542457

69-572: The party was founded following the disappearance of William Morgan , a former Mason who had become a prominent critic of the Masonic organization. Many believed that Masons had murdered Morgan for speaking out against Masonry and subsequently many churches and other groups condemned Masonry. As many Masons were prominent businessmen and politicians, the backlash against the Masons was also a form of anti- elitism . The Anti-Masons purported that Masons posed

138-474: A Bible and promise not to reveal the passwords and grips of the degrees, several members of the Batavia lodge published an advertisement denouncing Morgan for breaking his word by authoring the book. An attempt was also made to set fire to Miller's newspaper office and print shop. On September 11, 1826, Morgan was arrested for supposed nonpayment of a loan and allegedly stealing a shirt and a tie; according to

207-508: A brewery . When his business was destroyed in a fire, Morgan was reduced to poverty. He returned with his family to the United States, settling first at Rochester, New York , and later in Batavia, where he again worked as a bricklayer and stonecutter. Nineteenth-century local histories described Morgan as a heavy drinker and a gambler, characterizations disputed by Morgan's friends and supporters. Morgan claimed to have been made

276-670: A Master Mason while he was living in Canada, and he appears to have briefly attended a lodge in Rochester. In 1825, Morgan received the Royal Arch degree at Le Roy 's Western Star Chapter Number 33, having declared under oath that he had previously received the six degrees that preceded it. It has never been established if he actually received these degrees and, if so, from which lodge. Morgan then attempted unsuccessfully to help establish or visit lodges and chapters in Batavia, but he

345-461: A book exposing Freemasonry 's secrets, he was arrested on trumped-up charges. He disappeared soon after and was believed to have been kidnapped and killed by Masons from western New York. The allegations surrounding Morgan's disappearance and presumed death sparked a public outcry and inspired Thurlow Weed and others to harness the discontent by founding the new Anti-Masonic Party in opposition to President Andrew Jackson 's Democrats . It ran

414-458: A member sought to reveal its secrets, so ran the conclusion, the Freemasons had done away with him. Because they controlled the courts and other offices, they were considered capable of obstructing the investigation. True Americans, they said, had to organize and defeat this conspiracy. If good government was to be restored "all Masons must be purged from public office". The Anti-Masonic Party

483-658: A national convention in 1835, nominating Whig candidate William Henry Harrison , but a second convention announced that the party would not officially support a candidate. Harrison campaigned as a Whig in the 1836 presidential election and his relative success in the election encouraged further migration of Anti-Masons to the Whig Party. By 1840, the party had ceased to function as a national organization. In subsequent decades, former Anti-Masonic candidates and supporters such as Millard Fillmore , William H. Seward , Thurlow Weed and Thaddeus Stevens became prominent members of

552-551: A new identity and settled in Albany , Canada, or the Cayman Islands , where he was supposed to have been hanged as a pirate. New York governor DeWitt Clinton , also a Mason, offered a $ 1,000 reward (over $ 27,000 in 2023) for information about Morgan's whereabouts, but it was never claimed. The circumstances of Morgan's disappearance and the minimal punishment received by his kidnappers caused public outrage, and he became

621-581: A patent mustard-plaster compound, and Rough On Rats , a rodent poison. Earliest businesses in the village are the Bank of LeRoy (founded 1834, now Bank of America) and the Gazette-News newspaper (defunct 1993). Le Roy is the birthplace of Jell-O . Le Roy holds the Oatka Festival every summer, the tradition originating in 1989. This festival includes celebration of the rich culture and history of

690-519: A presidential candidate in 1832 but was nearly defunct by 1835. Morgan was born in Culpeper, Virginia , in 1774. His birth date is sometimes given as August 7, but no definite source for this is cited. He worked as a bricklayer and stone cutter and later used his savings to open a store in Richmond . Morgan told friends and acquaintances that he had served with distinction as a captain during

759-651: A religious cause, particularly in the Burned-over district of upstate New York. Many churches passed resolutions condemning ministers and lay leaders who were Masons and several denominations condemned Freemasonry, including the Presbyterian , Congregational , Methodist and Baptist churches. Anti-Masonry became a political issue in Western New York , where early in 1827 many mass meetings resolved not to support Masons for public office. In New York,

SECTION 10

#1732776431543

828-417: A shirt and tie in an effort to prevent publication of his book by keeping him in jail. The individual who intended to publish Morgan's book paid his bail and he was released from custody. Shortly afterwards, Morgan disappeared. Some skeptics argued that Morgan had left the Batavia area on his own, either because he had been paid not to publish his book, or to escape Masonic retaliation for attempting to publish

897-613: A symbol of the rights of free speech and free press. Protests against Freemasons took place in New York and the neighboring states; Masonic officials disavowed the actions of the kidnappers, but all Masons were under a cloud of suspicion. Thurlow Weed , a New York politician, gathered discontented opponents of President Andrew Jackson , a Mason, into the Anti-Masonic Party , which gained the support of such notable politicians as William H. Seward and Millard Fillmore . In

966-487: A threat to American republicanism by secretly trying to control the government. Furthermore, there was a strong fear that Masonry was hostile to Christianity . Mass opposition to Masonry eventually coalesced into a political party. Before and during the presidency of John Quincy Adams , there was a period of political realignment. The Anti-Masons emerged as an important third-party alternative to Andrew Jackson 's Democrats and Adams' National Republicans . In New York ,

1035-640: Is a village in Genesee County , New York , United States. The population was 4,391 at the 2010 census. The village lies in the center of the town of Le Roy at the intersection of State Routes 5 and 19. Prior to its incorporation in 1834, the first settlements in the village were to the east of the present village site. The village was an early center for the manufacture of patent medicines by companies such as S. C. Wells & Co. and household chemicals. Products produced in Le Roy included Mustarine ,

1104-514: The Batavia Cemetery , in Batavia, New York, where Timothy Monroe's body had been buried. The ceremony was witnessed by 1,000 people, including representatives from local Masonic lodges. The monument reads: Sacred to the memory of Wm. Morgan, a native of Virginia, a Capt. in the War of 1812, a respectable citizen of Batavia, and a martyr to the freedom of writing, printing and speaking

1173-606: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . In June, 1881, a grave was discovered in a quarry two miles south of the Indian reservation in Pembroke, New York . In it were bones and a metal tobacco box. Other items found included a ring with the inscribed initials "W. M." The box contained a crumpled paper; its few legible words seemed to suggest that the remains might have been Morgan's. There were also critics who suggested that

1242-658: The Pennsylvania General Assembly ; and William Sprague , elected speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1831 by a coalition of Democrats and Anti-Masons. The Anti-Masonic Party conducted the first presidential nominating convention in the United States history for the 1832 elections , nominating William Wirt (a former Mason) for president and Amos Ellmaker for vice president in Baltimore. Wirt won 7.8 percent of

1311-600: The Senate , but elected several members of the House of Representatives . William Morgan (anti-Mason) William Morgan (born 1774 – disappeared c. 1826) was a resident of Batavia, New York , whose disappearance and presumed murder in 1826 ignited a powerful movement against the Freemasons , a fraternal society that had become influential in the United States. After Morgan announced his intention to publish

1380-700: The War of 1812 , and his associates in upstate New York appear to have accepted this claim. Several men named William Morgan appear in the Virginia militia rolls for this period, but none held the rank of captain, and whether Morgan actually served in the war has not been determined with certainty. In October 1819, when he was in his mid-40s, Morgan married 19-year-old Lucinda Pendleton in Richmond , Virginia. They had two children: Lucinda Wesley Morgan and Thomas Jefferson Morgan. Two years after his marriage, Morgan moved his family to York, Upper Canada , where he operated

1449-541: The census of 2000, there were 4,462 people, 1,845 households, and 1,114 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,654.8 inhabitants per square mile (638.9/km ). There were 1,980 housing units at an average density of 734.3 per square mile (283.5/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 94.73% White , 2.47% Black or African American , 0.38% Native American , 0.56% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.22% from other races , and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of

SECTION 20

#1732776431543

1518-471: The 1828 campaign, other Jackson rivals, including John Quincy Adams , joined in denouncing the Masons. In 1832 , the Anti-Masonic Party fielded William Wirt as its presidential candidate and Amos Ellmaker as his running mate, and they received Vermont 's seven electoral votes. By 1835, the party had become moribund everywhere but Pennsylvania , as other issues, such as slavery , became

1587-652: The Anti-Masons aided in the rise of the Whig Party as the major alternative to the Democrats, with Anti-Masonic positions on issues including internal improvements and tariffs being adopted by the Whigs. A later political organization called the Anti-Masonic Party was active from 1872 until 1888. This second group had a more religious basis for its anti-Masonry and was closely associated with Jonathan Blanchard of Wheaton College . The Anti-Masons did not elect anyone to

1656-521: The Anti-Masons supplanted the National Republicans as the primary opposition to the Democrats. After experiencing unexpected success in the 1828 elections , the Anti-Masons adopted positions on other issues, most notably support for internal improvements and a protective tariff . Several Anti-Masons, including William A. Palmer and Joseph Ritner , won election to prominent positions. In states such as Pennsylvania and Rhode Island ,

1725-631: The Midwest, they became Mormons . By 1837, some historians believe that Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris had become one of the plural wives of Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement . She continued to live with George Harris. After Smith was murdered in 1844, she was " sealed " to him for eternity in a rite of the church. By 1850, the Harrises had separated. When George Harris died in 1860, he had been excommunicated from

1794-653: The Mormons after ceasing to practice with them. That year, Lucinda Morgan Harris was reported to have joined the Catholic Sisters of Charity in Memphis, Tennessee , where she worked at the Leah Asylum. She had been widowed three times. In 1841, the Mormons announced their vicarious baptism of William Morgan after his death, as one of the first under their new rite to posthumously offer people entrance into

1863-584: The New York leaders attempted unsuccessfully to persuade Henry Clay to renounce his Masonic membership and head the movement. By 1830, the Anti-Masonic movement's effort to broaden its appeal enabled it to spread to neighboring states, becoming especially strong in Pennsylvania and Vermont . In 1831, William A. Palmer was elected governor of Vermont on an Anti-Masonic ticket, an office he held until 1835. Palmer's brother-in-law Augustine Clarke

1932-471: The Whig Party. Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The opponents of Freemasonry formed a political movement after the Morgan affair convinced them the Masons were murdering men who spoke out against them. This key episode

2001-611: The Whigs, regarding that party as a better alternative to the Jacksonians, by then called Democrats. The Anti-Masonic Party held a conference in September 1837 to discuss its situation—one delegate was former president John Quincy Adams. The Anti-Masonic Party held a third national nominating convention at Temperance Hall in Philadelphia on November 13–14, 1838. By this time, the party had been almost entirely supplanted by

2070-481: The Whigs. The Anti-Masons unanimously endorsed William Henry Harrison for president and Daniel Webster for vice president in the 1840 election . When the Whig National Convention nominated Harrison with John Tyler as his running mate, the Anti-Masonic Party did not make an alternate nomination and ceased to function, with most adherents being fully absorbed into the Whigs by 1840. Anti-Masonry

2139-495: The alleged discovery of the bones and other artifacts was intentionally timed to coincide with the effort to construct a memorial to Morgan and might have been an effort to generate publicity for the monument, which was in fact dedicated in 1882. On September 13, 1882, the National Christian Association , a group opposed to secret societies , commissioned and erected a statue in memoriam to Morgan in

Anti-Masonic Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2208-409: The average family size was 3.04. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males. The median income for a household in the village

2277-414: The body was buried as his. However, the wife of a missing Canadian named Timothy Monroe (or Munro) positively identified the clothing on the body as that which had been worn by her husband at the time he had disappeared. One group of Freemasons denied that Morgan was killed, alleging that they had paid him $ 500 to leave the country. Morgan was reportedly seen later, including in other countries, but none of

2346-537: The book, or to generate publicity that would boost the book's sales. The generally believed version of events was that Masons killed Morgan by drowning him in the Niagara River . Whether he fled or was murdered, Morgan's disappearance led many to believe that Freemasonry was in conflict with good citizenship. Because judges, businessmen, bankers and politicians were often Masons, ordinary citizens began to think of it as an elitist group. Moreover, many claimed that

2415-593: The center of the town of Elba. According to the United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km ), of which 1.65 acres (6,678 m ) is water. Oatka Creek , a tributary of the Genesee River , flows through the village. New York State Route 19 intersects New York State Route 5 in LeRoy. NY 19 (Lake Street to the north, Clay Street to

2484-598: The election to Democratic candidate Martin Van Buren in 1836, his strength throughout the North was hailed by Anti-Masonic leaders because the Anti-Masonic Party was the first to officially place his name in contention. By the mid-1830s, other Anti-Jacksonians had coalesced into the Whig Party , which had a broader issue base than the Anti-Masons. By the late 1830s, many of the Anti-Masonic movement's members were moving to

2553-527: The fact that Andrew Jackson was a high-ranking Mason and frequently spoke in praise of the organization. The alleged remark of Anti-Masonic organizer Thurlow Weed (which Weed denied), that an unidentified corpse found in the Niagara River was "a good enough Morgan" until after the 1828 elections, summarized the value of the Morgan disappearance for the opponents of Jackson. In the elections of 1828 ,

2622-495: The focus of national attention. In 1847, Adams published a widely distributed book titled Letters on the Masonic Institution that criticized the Masons' secret society. Members of Freemasonry criticized the Mormons for their adoption of Masonic rituals and regalia. In 1830, Morgan's widow, Lucinda Pendleton Morgan, married George W. Harris of Batavia, a silversmith who was 20 years older. After they moved to

2691-430: The jailer was away, a group of men convinced his wife to release Morgan; they walked to a waiting carriage, which arrived two days later at Fort Niagara . Shortly afterwards, Morgan disappeared. There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. The generally accepted version of events is that Morgan was taken in a boat to the middle of the Niagara River and thrown overboard, where he presumably drowned, since he

2760-510: The kidnapping and served sentences. Other Batavia Masons were tried and acquitted. Author Jasper Ridley suggests that Morgan was probably killed by local Masons, as all other scenarios are highly improbable. Historian H. Paul Jeffers also considers this the more credible explanation. C. T. Congdon, in Reminiscences of a Journalist , cites a third-hand account "that Morgan was murdered by certain very zealous Freemasons," and notes that

2829-722: The kidnapping of William Morgan and the start of the Anti-Masonry movement. In his novel The Craft: Freemasons, Secret Agents, and William Morgan (2010), the author Thomas Talbot presents a fictional version of the William Morgan kidnapping. He portrays him as a British spy, includes rogue British Masons, and has presidential agents thwart an assassination plot. He is also featured in Timothy Liu 's poem "Secret Combinations" from his 2005 book of poems, For Dust Thou Art . Le Roy (village), New York Le Roy

Anti-Masonic Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2898-459: The laws of the time he could be held in debtors' prison until restitution was made, which would have made it more difficult to publish his book. Morgan was jailed in Canandaigua , and when Miller learned of this, he went to the jail to pay the debt and secure Morgan's release. Morgan was released, but then re-arrested and charged with supposedly failing to pay a two dollar tavern bill. While

2967-621: The local area with vendors and several local businesses and restaurants participating each year. The First Presbyterian Church of Le Roy , Keeney House , Machpelah Cemetery , Le Roy House and Union Free School , Augustus S. Tyron House , U.S. Post Office , and Marion Steam Shovel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Le Roy is located in eastern Genesee County at 42°58′32″N 77°59′26″W  /  42.97556°N 77.99056°W  / 42.97556; -77.99056 (42.975656, -77.990792), southwest of

3036-419: The lodges' secret oaths bound Masons to favor each other against outsiders in the courts and elsewhere. Because some trials of alleged Morgan conspirators were mishandled and the Masons resisted further inquiries, many New Yorkers concluded that Masons controlled key offices and used their official authority to promote the goals of the fraternity by ensuring that Morgan's supposed killers escaped punishment. When

3105-664: The new party proved unexpectedly strong. Though its candidate for governor of New York , Solomon Southwick , was defeated, the Anti-Masonic Party became the main opposition party to the Jacksonian Democrats in New York. In 1829, it broadened its issues base when it became a champion of internal improvements and the protective tariff . Anti-Masonic Party members expanded the use of party-affiliated newspapers for political organizing by publishing over 100, including Southwick's National Observer and Weed's Anti-Masonic Enquirer . By 1829, Weed's Albany Journal had become

3174-490: The next election. He won election as governor in his own right as a Whig in 1836 and served from 1836 to 1841. Though the Anti-Masonic Party elected no senators and controlled no houses of a state legislature, Anti-Masons in state legislatures sometimes formed coalitions to elect senators and organize their chambers. Examples include: William Wilkins , elected to the Senate in 1830 by a coalition of Democrats and Anti-Masons in

3243-486: The party controlled the balance of power in the state legislature and provided crucial support to candidates for the United States Senate . In 1831, the party held the first presidential nominating convention , a practice that was subsequently adopted by all major parties. Delegates chose former U.S. attorney general William Wirt as their standard bearer in the 1832 presidential election ; Wirt won 7.8% of

3312-427: The popular vote and carried Vermont . As the 1830s progressed, many of the Anti-Masonic Party's supporters joined the Whig Party, which sought to unite those opposed to the policies of President Jackson. The Anti-Masons brought with them an intense distrust of politicians and a rejection of unthinking party loyalty, together with new campaign techniques to whip up excitement among the voters. The Anti-Masonic Party held

3381-666: The popular vote and the seven electoral votes of Vermont. Soon the Democrats and Whigs recognized the convention's value in managing parties and campaigns and began to hold their own. Following Ritner's election in 1835, a state convention was held in Harrisburg on December 14–17, 1835 to choose presidential electors for the 1836 election . The convention nominated William Henry Harrison for president and Francis Granger for vice president. The Vermont state Anti-Masonic convention followed suit on February 24, 1836. Anti-Masonic leaders were unable to obtain assurance from Harrison that he

3450-409: The population. There were 1,845 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and

3519-407: The preeminent Anti-Masonic paper and it later became the leading Whig newspaper. The newspapers of the time reveled in partisanship and one brief paragraph in an Albany Journal article opposing Martin Van Buren included the words "dangerous", "demagogue", "corrupt", "degrade", "pervert", "prostitute", "debauch" and "cursed". A national Anti-Masonic organization was planned as early as 1827, when

SECTION 50

#1732776431543

3588-421: The presidency in 1832, not only was a former Mason, but also defended Freemasonry in a speech before the convention that nominated him indicates that opposition to Masonry was not the Anti-Masonic movement's sole issue. The Anti-Masonic movement gave rise to or expanded the use of many innovations which became accepted practice among other parties, including nominating conventions and party newspapers. In addition,

3657-442: The reports were confirmed. Eventually, Eli Bruce, the sheriff of Niagara County and a Mason, was removed from office and tried for his involvement in Morgan's disappearance; he served 28 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy for his role in kidnapping Morgan and holding him against his will before his disappearance. Three other Masons, Loton Lawson, Nicholas Chesebro, and Edward Sawyer, were convicted of taking part in

3726-415: The resultant anti-Mason sentiment caused many elections to go to non-Masons for a number of years afterwards. Soon after Morgan disappeared, Miller published Morgan's book, which became a bestseller because of the notoriety of the events surrounding his disappearance. Miller did not say that Morgan had been murdered but that he had been "carried away". Unverified rumors speculated that Morgan had assumed

3795-490: The six degrees which preceded it. Whether he actually received these degrees and if so from where has not been determined for certain. Morgan then attempted unsuccessfully to help establish or visit lodges and chapters in Batavia , but was denied participation in Batavia's Masonic activities by members who were uncertain about Morgan's character and claims to Masonic membership. Angered by the rejection, Morgan announced that he

3864-593: The south) leads north 8 miles (13 km) to Bergen and south 19 miles (31 km) to Warsaw . NY 5 (Main Street) leads east 7 miles (11 km) to Caledonia and west 10 miles (16 km) to Batavia , the Genesee County seat. Interstate 90 , the New York State Thruway , passes north of Le Roy, with access from Exit 47 ( I-490 /NY 19) 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of the village. As of

3933-463: The supporters of President John Quincy Adams , called "Adams men", or Anti-Jacksonians, or National Republicans , were a feeble organization. Adams supporters used the strong anti-Masonic feeling to create a new party in opposition to the rising Jacksonian Democracy nationally and the Albany Regency political organization of Martin Van Buren in New York. In this effort, they were aided by

4002-578: The truth. He was abducted from near this spot in the year 1826, by Freemasons and murdered for revealing the secrets of their order. The court records of Genesee County and the files of the Batavia Advocate , kept in the Recorders office contain the history of the events that caused the erection of this monument. The pharmacist John Uri Lloyd based part of the background story of his popular scientific allegorical novel Etidorhpa (1895) on

4071-563: The weakening of longstanding family and community ties. With Freemasonry one of the few institutions that remained stable during this time of change, it became a natural target for protesters. As a result, the Morgan Affair became the highly visible catalyst that turned a popular movement into a political party. Under the banner of Anti-Masons, able leaders united Anti-Jacksonians and others who were discontented with existing political conditions. The fact that William Wirt, their choice for

4140-450: The work. Miller is said to have received the entered apprentice degree (the first degree of Freemasonry), but had been stopped from advancement by the objection of Batavia lodge members. Morgan was promised one-fourth of the profits, and the financial backers of the venture—Miller, John Davids (Morgan's landlord), and Russel Dyer—entered into a $ 500,000 penal bond with Morgan to guarantee its publication. Since Masons place their hands on

4209-582: Was an Anti-Masonic presidential elector in 1832, served as Vermont state treasurer from 1833 to 1837 and was appointed to the Anti-Masonic National Committee in 1837. Other Vermont Anti-Masonic electors in 1832 included former governor Ezra Butler and former United States representative William Strong . The highest elected office held by a member of the Anti-Masonic Party was governor. Besides Palmer in Vermont, Joseph Ritner

SECTION 60

#1732776431543

4278-530: Was deeply committed to conspiracy theories, primarily the claim that Masonic elites were trying to secretly control the government. As people became more mobile economically during the Industrial Revolution and began to move west when new states were populated by white settlers and added to the Union, the growth of the Anti-Masonic movement was caused by the political and social unrest resulting from

4347-414: Was denied participation by members who disapproved of his character and even questioned his claims to Masonic membership. Morgan finally announced that he was going to publish an exposé titled Illustrations of Masonry , critical of the Freemasons and revealing their secret degree ceremonies in detail. Morgan declared that a local newspaper publisher, David Cade Miller, had given him a sizable advance for

4416-533: Was formed in Upstate New York in February 1828. Anti-Masons were opponents of Freemasonry, believing that it was a corrupt and elitist secret society which was ruling much of the country in defiance of republican principles . Many people regarded the Masonic organization and its adherents involved in government as corrupt. Opposition to Masonry was taken up by some evangelical Protestant churches as

4485-406: Was going to publish an exposé titled Illustrations of Masonry , critical of the Freemasons and describing their secret degree ceremonies in detail. When his intentions became known to the Batavia lodge, an attempt was made to burn down the business of the printer who planned to publish Morgan's book. In September 1826, Morgan was arrested on flimsy allegations of failing to repay a loan and theft of

4554-419: Was never seen again in the community. In 1848, Henry L. Valance allegedly confessed on his deathbed to taking part in Morgan's murder, a purported event recounted in chapter two of Reverend C. G. Finney 's anti-Masonic book The Character, Claims, and Practical Workings of Freemasonry (1869). In October 1827, a badly decomposed body washed up on the shores of Lake Ontario . Many presumed it to be Morgan, and

4623-469: Was not a Mason, so they called a national convention. The second national Anti-Masonic nominating convention was held in Philadelphia on May 4, 1836. The meeting was divisive, but a majority of the delegates officially stated that the party was not sponsoring a national ticket for the presidential election of 1836 and proposed a meeting in 1837 to discuss the future of the party. Although Harrison lost

4692-628: Was the governor of Pennsylvania from 1835 to 1839. In addition to Palmer and Ritner, Silas H. Jennison , an Anti-Mason, was elected Lieutenant Governor of Vermont with Whig support in 1835. No candidate, including Palmer, received a majority of votes for governor as required by the Vermont Constitution. The contest then moved to the Vermont General Assembly , which could not choose a winner. The General Assembly then opted to allow Jennison to act as governor until

4761-415: Was the mysterious 1826 disappearance of William Morgan, a Freemason in upstate New York who had turned against the Masons. Morgan claimed to have been made a member of the Masons while living in Canada and he appears to have briefly attended a lodge in Rochester. In 1825, Morgan received the Royal Arch degree at Le Roy 's Western Star Chapter #33, having declared under oath that he had previously received

#542457