| Interment Location | Visited | |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | Summer 2015 |
Fast Facts
Born: December 29, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts
Spouse: Mary Ann Hamilton Pike (m. 1834-1876)
Military Service: Captain — U.S. Army; Brigadier General — Confederate Army
Died: April 2, 1891 in Washington, D.C.
Cause of Death: Pyaemia
Age: 81
Interment: House of the Temple, Washington, D.C.
A page on the Scottish Rite, National Masonic Jurisdiction website states that Albert Pike “is best known as the author of Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, a book that describes in detail the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the stories and teachings associated with each rank, the rituals connected to each rank, and other lodge proceedings.” The House of the Temple library displays Pike’s personal copy of his 1871 publication.
For many years, before John Russell Pope’s project, the House of the Temple was a building located at 433 3rd Street NW, between D and E streets. Pike resided there for the last several years of his life. He died there on April 2, 1891 of a “pyaemic affection.” The old House of the Temple site is now the U.S. Tax Court, designed by Victor A. Lundy and constructed in the early 1970s. So this location has seen its share of life’s two guarantees.
Author, poet, jurist, orator, philanthropist, philosopher, soldier, scholar.
I spotted scattered paint residue on the plinth that remained from the 2020 protests.
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Cole, James D. “Official Statement Regarding Pike Statue.” June 22, 2020. https://scottishrite.org/blog/2020/06/22/official-statement-concerning-pike-statue/.
Scottish Rite, National Masonic Jurisdiction. “The House of the Temple: A History.” Accessed April 4, 2026. https://scottishritenmj.org/blog/house-of-temple-history.
[Washington] Evening Star. “GEN. ALBERT PIKE. The Loftiest Masonic Officer in the World Dead.” April 3, 1891. Page 11. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045462/1891-04-03/ed-1/?sp=11&st=image.