Matthew McBlain Thomson (9 January 1854 – 13 September 1932)Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon - Matthew McBlain Thomson was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

-born convert to

Mormonism Mormonism is the theology and religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationism, Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to va ...

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a convicted

fraudster In law, fraud is intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover mone ...

Masonic activities

Thomson was born in

Ayr, Scotland Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a ...

on 9 January 1854.Howe & Möller 1978 He was by trade a

house painter A house painter and decorator is a tradesperson responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator, or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is t ...

. He became a Freemason in 1874 while still living in Scotland. In 1881, Thomson immigrated to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, United States, where he joined the King Solomon Lodge in

Montpelier, Idaho Montpelier is a city in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,643 at the 2020 census. The city is the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley, a farming region north of Bear Lake in southeastern Idaho along the Utah b ...

.Homer 1992, 77 Eventually, the lodge members refused to accept his Masonic degrees from Scotland and also accused him, as a Mormon taking part in the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

endowment ceremony In Mormonism, the endowment is a two-part ordinance designed for participants to become kings, queens, priests, and priestesses in the afterlife. As part of the first ceremony, participants take part in a scripted reenactment of the Biblic ...

, of practicing a "clandestine" form of Masonry. After leaving "regular" Freemasonry as practiced under the

Grand Lodge of Idaho The Grand Lodge of Idaho (full formal name Grand Lodge of Idaho, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons) is one of several bodies that govern Freemasonry in the U.S. state of Idaho as recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England. It was established in ...

, Thomson founded his own Masonic organization, the American Masonic Federation (AMF), and began practicing what he called "Universal Masonry", which accepted Mormons as members. In 1908, he founded a lodge in

Helper, Utah Helper is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States, approximately southeast of Salt Lake City and northwest of the city of Price. The population was 2,201 at the 2010 census. The city is located along the Price River and U.S. Route 6/ ...

and in 1909 moved his organization to

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

.Homer 1992, 77-78 Thomson claimed the AMF descended from an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

lodge in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and accepted blacks as members unlike the "regular" Grand Lodges of the time. He sold Masonic degrees by mail to "shopkeepers, workers and other people" mainly from Utah, who as Mormons were not eligible to become Freemasons under the Grand Lodge of Utah.Homer 1992, 78Introvigne 2012, 152 In 1918, Thomson dedicated a

Masonic temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

. He also published a periodical entitled the ''Universal Freemason'', in which he attacked the Grand Lodge of Utah's policy of exclusion. The Grand Lodge of Utah protested Thomson's activities, and sent a letter to all Utah Masons warning them that AMF lodges were "clandestine, spurious, and fraudulent".

Contacts with European "fringe" Freemasonry

Despite being rejected by "regular" Grand Lodges in America, Thomson and his organization were welcomed by the main "fringe" Freemasons of Europe, including

Jean Bricaud Jean (or Joanny) Bricaud (11 February 1881, Neuville-sur-Ain, Ain – 24 February 1934), also known as Tau Jean II, was a French student of the occult and esoteric matters. Bricaud was heavily involved in the French neo-Gnostic movement. He was c ...

and

Theodor Reuss Albert Karl Theodor Reuss (; June 28, 1855 – October 28, 1923), also known by his neo-Gnostic bishop title of Carolus Albertus Theodorus Peregrinus, was a German tantra, tantric occultist, freemason, journalist, singer and head of Ordo Templ ...

. In July 1920, Thomson organized a "Universal World Masonic Congress" in

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

, where a number of "fringe" European Masonic groups were represented. As a result of the congress, the "Universal Masonic World Federation" was founded, presided over by Thomson with Bricaud as treasurer. Reuss was initially planned by Thomson to be appointed the secretary of the new Federation, but the post eventually went to Hans-Rudolph Hilfiker-Dunn.Introvigne 2012, 153 Notably absent from the Congress was

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

, a high-ranking member of Reuss' organization

Ordo Templi Orientis Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult secret society and hermetic magical organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner, Theodor Reuss, ...

(O.T.O), who at the time was running his "

Abbey of Thelema The Abbey of Thelema is a small house which was used as a temple and spiritual centre, founded by Aleister Crowley and Leah Hirsig in Cefalù (Sicily, Italy) in 1920. The villa still stands today, but in poor condition. Filmmaker Kenneth Anger, ...

" at Cefalu, Sicily. In his diary, Crowley writes that he was invited to the Zürich meeting, but declined to attend, preferring to remain "the Secret Master". It seems, however, that Thomson was in contact with Crowley: in his '' Confessions'' Crowley writes that he received a "shower of diplomas, from

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

to Salt Lake City", an obvious reference to Thomson. Thomson apparently conferred upon Crowley the title of "Past Grand Master of the United States of America", a title which Masons historically planned to give to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

Mail fraud trial and conviction

In 1915, the

United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet of the Un ...

began investigating Thomson. In 1922, Thomson and his associates were convicted by the

United States District Court for the District of Utah The United States District Court for the District of Utah (in case citations, D. Utah) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Utah. The court is based in Salt Lake City with another courtroom leased in thstate courthous ...

for

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

and sentenced to two years in the Leavenworth federal prison and fined $5,000 each.Homer 1992, 79 Thomson was convicted for selling Masonic degrees by mail while misrepresenting "the standing and character" of his Masonic organization by claiming it was "the only regular, legitimate, and true

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

body in America". Thomson claimed that he was persecuted as a Mormon by an

anti-Mormon Anti-Mormonism refers to individuals, literature and media that are opposed to the beliefs, adherents, or institutions of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include hostility, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, ...

Utah Masonry, but this was denied by the prosecutor. Prosecuting attorney Isaac Blair Evans authored a 1922 book entitled ''The Thomson Masonic Fraud: A Study in Clandestine Masonry'' about the trial.Introvigne 2012, 162

Legacy

Thomson died in Salt Lake City on 13 September 1932. The American Masonic Federation was apparently still in existence in the 1970s.

References

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External links