The Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA is the first Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, founded in 1801. Its official full name is "The Supreme Council (Mother Council of the World) of the Inspectors General Knights Commander of the House of the Temple of Solomon of the Thirty-third Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America.""FAQs about Masonry." The Supreme Council, 33°, A.A. & S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., USA, (2006). Accessed June 2, 2008. It is also commonly known as The Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, or by some other varying degree of complete titulage. It is sometimes called the Mother Supreme Council of the World. It is the governing body of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in its jurisdiction,"About the Building" The Supreme Council, 33°, A.A. & S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., USA (2006). Accessed June 2, 2008. and is one of five Supreme Councils in the United States, along with the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, the Supreme Council of Louisiana and two Prince Hall Affiliated Supreme Councils.
It claims that all other Supreme Councils and Subordinate Bodies of the Scottish Rite are derived from it,"Scottish Rite History" Scottish Rite California. Accessed June 2, 2008. although some degrees in the Scottish Rite were practiced before the Southern Jurisdiction was organized. It oversees the Scottish Rite in 35 states."Southern Jurisdiction" The Supreme Council, 33°, A.A. & S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., USA (2006). Accessed June 2, 2008. The other 15 states fall under the Northern Jurisdiction, which is an independent body.
The Scottish Rite is one of the appendant bodies of Freemasonry that a Master Mason may join for further exposure to the principles of Freemasonry. To join the Supreme Council, one must attain the 32° of the Scottish Rite. The 33° is an honorary degree which only some members obtain.
In the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 33 members, and is presided over by a Sovereign Grand Commander. Other members of the Supreme Council are called Sovereign Grand Inspectors General (SGIG), and each is the head of the Rite in his respective Orient (or state). Other heads of the various Orients who are not members of the Supreme Council are called Deputies of the Supreme Council.
History The Supreme Council was founded in Charleston, South Carolina in May 1801 at Shepheard's Tavern at the corner of Broad and Church Streets. Previously, the tavern had been the location of the founding of Freemasonry in South Carolina in 1754. The Founding Fathers of the Scottish Rite who attended became known as "The Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston". They included:
John Mitchell – Received a patent April 2, 1795, from Barend Moses Spitzer granting him authority as Deputy Inspector General to create a Lodge of Perfection and several Councils and Chapters wherever such Lodges or Chapters were needed. Born in Ireland in 1741, he came to America at an early age. He served as Deputy Quartermaster General in the Continental Army and was the first Grand Commander of the Supreme Council. Frederick Dalcho – A physician, he served in the Revolutionary Army and was stationed at Fort Johnson. He formed a partnership in 1801 with Dr. Isaac Auld, another of the original members. He was an outstanding orator and author. In 1807 he published the first edition of Ahiman Rezon. He became an editor of the Charleston Courier, was a lay reader and deacon in the Episcopal Church, and in 1818 was ordained as a priest. Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse, known as Comte de Grasse-Tilly. He was born in France as the eldest legitimate son of François Joseph Paul de Grasse, a French admiral known as a hero of the American Revolution for defeating the British fleet in the Battle of the Chesapeake. He inherited his father's title, and likely had the highest social ranking of the original eleven founders. He was the youngest of the members and was named to become the Grand Commander of the West Indian Islands. After Napoleon came to power, de Grasse returned to France and resumed his military career. He also extended Freemasonry, establishing the Supreme Council of France and councils in other European cities. Jean-Baptiste Marie de La Hogue – He was a native of Paris who had lived in Saint-Domingue until the revolution there; father-in-law of de Grasse, he was a founding member of La Candeur Lodge in Charleston. Thomas Bartholemew Bowen – Was the first Grand Master of Ceremonies of the new Supreme Council. He was a Major in the Continental Army and a printer by trade. Abraham Alexander – Was one of the first Sovereign Grand Inspectors General. He was born in London in 1743 and immigrated to Charleston in 1771. He was a prominent Sephardic Jew and had been described as "a Calligraphist of the first order"; he was elected as the first Grand Secretary General. Emanuel de la Motta – A Sovereign Grand Inspector General. Also, a Sephardic Jew, he was by trade a merchant and auctioneer. He was a member of Friendship Lodge and was reported to be devoted to the study of Jewish literature and Masonry. Isaac Auld – An eminent physician, associated in medical practice with Dr. Dalcho. He was a strong Congregationalist. Israel de Lieben – A Sovereign Grand Inspector General and the first Grand Treasurer General. He was born in Prague and emigrated to the United States at 21. He was known as "the liberal-headed Jew", who was "tolerant in his religious opinions" and was considered to be intelligent, enterprising, liberal and generous. Moses Clava Levy – Born in Kraków, Poland, he was a prosperous merchant, was generous and helpful to the unfortunate, and devoted to his adopted city and country. James Moultrie – the only native-born South Carolinian among the original members. He was a physician, and according to Albert Pike, "was one of the foremost Citizens of South Carolina". Isaac Da Costa, another Sephardic Jew, was one of the deputies commissioned to establish Morin's Rite of the Royal Secret in other countries; he formed constituent bodies of the Rite in South Carolina in 1783. These are considered to have become in 1801, The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. In 1813, a member of the Supreme Council established in New York a Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States of America. In 1823, the Supreme Council granted jurisdiction of the fifteen states east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to the Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction.
After the Morgan Affair, membership numbers dwindled to the point that by 1844, there were only 4 members in the entire Supreme Council.
In 1870, "its residence was moved to Washington, D.C.," although " its see remains in Charleston."
In 1911 the Mother Supreme Council began construction of a new headquarters of the Supreme Council in the District of Columbia, called the House of the Temple. Finished in 1915, the House of the Temple remains their headquarters to this day. It is located at 1733 Sixteenth Street, NW. The House of the Temple also contains the remains of Albert Pike.
Leadership The head of the Southern Jurisdiction is titled the Sovereign Grand Commander. A total of 21 men have held this office since 1801. Albert Pike and John H. Cowel's tenures of 32 years were the longest. The list of Sovereign Grand Commanders is as follows: +NumberSGCYears in OfficeNumberSGCYears in Office1John Mitchell1801–181612Thomas H. Caswell1895–19002Frederick Dalcho1816–182213James D. Richardson1901–19143Isaac Auld1822–182614George F. Moore1914–19214Moses Holbrook1826–184415John H. Cowles1921–19535Jacob De La Motta (acting)1844–184516Thomas J. Harkms1952–19556Alexander McDonald1845–184617Luther S. Smith1955–19697John H. Honour1846–185818Henry C. Clausen1969–19858Charles M. Furman (acting)1858–185919C. Fred Kleinknecht1985–20039Albert Pike1859–189120Ronald A. Seale2003–201910James C. Batchelor1892–189321James D. Cole2019–present11Philip C. Tucker1893–1895
Writing An important philosophical document of the Southern Jurisdiction was Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, written by Albert Pike in 1872. A copy of Morals and Dogma was given to every new member in the Southern Jurisdiction until 1974. The book given to new initiates then became Grand Commander Henry C. Clausen's Clausen's Commentaries On Morals and Dogma (1976), then Rex Hutchens' A Bridge to Light (1988). Following the adoption of the "Revised Standard Pike Ritual," Hutchens' book was revised in 2010 by Scottish Rite Grand Archivist and Grand Historian Arturo de Hoyos. Currently, de Hoyos' Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide (2007, rev. 2010) is now distributed to new members as is Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma: Annotated Edition (2011).
Degree Structure Before Albert Pike became a member of the Southern Jurisdiction, the degrees were in a rudimentary form, and often included only a brief history and legend of each degree, as well as other brief details which usually lacked a workable ritual for their conferral. In 1855, the Supreme Council appointed a committee to prepare and compile rituals for the 4th through the 32nd Degrees. That committee was composed of Albert G. Mackey, John H. Honour, William S. Rockwell, Claude P. Samory, and Albert Pike. Of these five committee members, Pike did all the work of the committee.
The degrees offered by the Southern Jurisdiction can be divided into four categories:
Lodge of Perfection - 4° through 14° Chapter of Rose Croix - 15° through 18° Council of Kadosh - 19° through 30° Consistory - 31° and 32° The inspiration for the various degrees are as follows: German Illuminism of the Tribunal of the Holy Vehme: 9th, 10th, 11th, and 21st Degrees Degrees of Hebrew and Biblical Origin: 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Degrees Temple Degrees: 19th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 29th Degrees Alchemical and Rosicrucian Degrees: 22nd and 28th Degrees
As of 2017, the topics of the degrees are as follows: DegreeNameSetting and/or TopicDegreeNameSetting and/or Topic4°Secret MasterNear the Holiest of Holies in Solomon's Temple19°Grand PontiffAlbert Pike created ritual following a general plot of the hero's journey5°Perfect MasterHiram Abiff's Funeral20°Master of the Symbolic LodgeGeometry and Virtues; Famous lawgivers including Hammurabi, Socrates and Confucius6°Intimate SecretaryNon-biblical story of debts owed by Solomon to Hiram of Tyre21°Noachite, or Prussian KnightImperial Free City of Dortmund in the 1190s7°Provost and JudgePhoenicians and Jews building the Temple22°Knight of the Royal Ax, or Prince of LibanusPrussian Knights8°Intendant of the BuildingSelection to succeed Hiram Abiff23°Chief of the TabernacleChapter 16 of the Book of Numbers9°Elu of the NineVengeance for Hiram Abiff's murder24°Prince of the TabernacleFour Elements, Osiris, Mithra10°Elu of the FifteenExecution of the murderers of Hiram Abiff25°Knight of the Brazen SerpentSufism11°Elu of the TwelveExecution of the murderers of Hiram Abiff26°Prince of Mercy, or Scottish TrinitarianComparative Religions12°Master ArchitectAdoniram, successor to Hiram Abiff27°Knight of the Sun, or Prince AdeptKnighthood; Middle Ages13°Royal Arch of SolomonVault of Enoch28°Knight Commander of the TempleEl14°Perfect EluInitiation Ceremony29°Scottish Knight of Saint AndrewRobert the Bruce15°Knight of the East, or Knight of the Sword,
or Knight of the EagleRuins of Solomon's Temple and the throne room of Cyrus the Great during the Babylonian Captivity30°Knight Kadosh, or