HISTORY
The Lodge is Named for a Famous Conductor
The John Phillip Sousa Lodge was established in 2019.
It is a lodge within the Grand Lodge of New York.
Sousa was a Freemason. On March 15, 1881, he was initiated to the Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the Hiram Lodge No. 10, Washington, DC
and was a Master Mason for 51 years.
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King". Among his best-known marches are "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (National March of the United States of America), "Semper Fidelis" (official march of the United States Marine Corps), "The Liberty Bell", "The Thunderer", and "The Washington Post".
He spent much of his adult life in the military. In 1868, Sousa enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 13 as an apprentice musician (his rank listed as "boy"). He left the Marine Corps in 1875. His second period of service began in 1880 and continued until 1892.During this period, Sousa led the Marine Band through its development into the country's premier military band. Sousa was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve on May 31, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. In the early 1920s, he was promoted to lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. For his service during the war, Sousa received the World War I Victory Medal and was elected as a Veteran Companion of the Military Order of Foreign Wars. He was also a member of Post 754 of the American Legion.
He was also, a member of the Sons of the Revolution, Military Order of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Society of Artists and Composers. He was also a member of the Salmagundi, Players, Musicians, New York Athletic, Lambs, Army and Navy and the
Gridiron clubs of Washington.
He was born on November 6, 1854 and died March 6, 1932.
He was of Portuguese descent.
