05/24/2026
In honor of Memorial Day, here is the final resting place of Azariah Theodore Crane "A.T.C." Pierson (1817-1890), one of the founders of Freemasonry in Minnesota.
Born in New Jersey, he became a Mason in his early thirties and moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1850. He quickly became involved in a number of appendant bodies including Royal Arch and the Scottish Rite and received the 33rd Degree in 1859 in Chicago. In 1853, he convened the convention to form the Grand Lodge of Minnesota and was elected to serve as its first Grand Secretary. He then served as Grand Master from 1856-1864 and served a number of additional terms as Grand Secretary (totaling 14 years).
He held national leadership positions in the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction. In Saint Paul, he was a charter member of Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5 and served as its first Junior Warden.
In 1890, after his passing, then-Grand Master Jacob A. Kiester delivered a tribute to A.T.C. Pierson at the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. He said, "As a Mason of long experience, of official services in every branch of Masonry, and of wide and varied learning, Brother Pierson had few equals and no superiors." An obituary printed in Illinois remembered him as "the greatest Masonic character in the world."
Today, he rests in Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul, Minnesota next to his wife of 54 years, Eleanor C. Berrien Pierson (1819-1904).
