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Montana Freemason March 2015
The role of clubs, fraternal and benevolent societies,
and other similar institutions laid the foundation
for effective civil society in mining communities.
Freemasons tended to be above the median income,
as men within a community became Freemasons and
Freemasons migrated to a community the increase
altruism for public education that was a central
component of Freemasonry would lead to legislation
for higher taxes and better public good outcomes.
Freemasons tended to be very politically active;
they use their influence for the public good of the
community. 3
The promotion of Montana as a place for
settlement of families was an ideal to which many
Masons subscribed. From the very beginning of the
development of the Montana Territory and Statehood,
Masons put themselves on the side of those who were
determined Montana should be a safe haven for all
who wished to live here. Freemasonry existed as a
coherent element in Montana society. 4
Montana Masons within the Territorial legislature
had been working toward the expansion of women’s
rights. In 1873, Brother Wilbur F. Sanders, a member
of the House of Representatives from Helena, tried
to give women the vote when he sought on April 19,
1873 and again on January 22, 1874 to “enlarge the
suffrage”. The House rebuffed his efforts 16-7 and
17-9. Alex H. Beattie a member of Virginia City No. 1,
who was also a legislator in the Council, tried to strike formed in 1864. He was elected first chairman of the
the word “male” from a bill on voter qualifications
on February 12, 1874 which failed by a vote 8-5. The
failure to pass was in some aspects the result of the
lack of interest due to the proportional of 7 men
for every woman. As a result most men showed little
interest in the suffrage movement. 5
A measure was introduced by Walter M. Bickford,
an Attorney from Missoula, to amend the Compiled
Laws of Montana to allow women to practice law.
On January 31, 1889 the Montana Territorial Council
passed Council Bill #4 and sent it to the House.
Governor Preston H. Leslie signed the bill on
February 13, 1889. The Supreme Court assigned three
well known Attorneys to conduct the bar exam on the
first woman applicant. 6
Volume 91 Number 1
The following three men need to be understood in
terms of their background and why being Masons
helped them in becoming part of the leadership that
shaped Montana, as well as their ability to lead in
furthering the establishment of equality in Montana.
Wilbur Fisk Sanders was born in 1834 in New
York where he attended schools, and taught school. He
moved to Ohio in 1854, where he continued teaching,
and studied law, gaining admission to the bar in 1856.
He became a partner in the Law Practice of his uncle
Sidney Edgarton, (Edgarton was the First Governor
of Montana). During the Civil War, Sanders was
commissioned a first lieutenant in the 64th Regiment.
He moved west in 1863, to Bannack where he engaged
in the practice of law. He was there before courts
were organized and, being one of the first permanent
settlers, took a prominent part in bringing law and
order to the Montana Territory. He was a member of
the Vigilance Committee and served as the Prosecuting
Attorney against the outlaws. Through the efforts
of Sanders and the Vigilantes the reign of terror in
Virginia City and the Territory was brought to an end.
Sanders had a great impact on Montana History: he
was charter member and Commander of the Montana
chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1864,
Indian troubles forced Governor Edgerton to create
a militia and he appointed Sanders a Colonel in the
Montana Militia. Sanders became the first Secretary
of the Society of Montana Pioneers when it was
Montana Bar Association organized in 1865. When
the Montana Historical Society was founded in 1865,
he was elected as its first president and held that office
for twenty-five years. Sanders took a leading role in
the effort to relocate the territorial capital to Helena.
He was a member of the Territorial Legislature
from 1873 to 1879. He served as President of the
Montana Wesleyan University in Helena 1889-1900.
After the admission of Montana as a State in 1889 he
was elected to the U.S. Senate 1890 and served one
term. The first and only statue in the Montana Capital
building, until 1980, was of Wilbur F. Sanders. Brother
Sanders was raised in Akron Lodge No. 83, Akron
Ohio on November 8, 1859. In 1863, he was part of
the movement to form a Masonic Lodge and was a
charter member of Virginia City Lodge No. 43 of the
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