Davy Crockett

Born: Thursday, 17 August 1786
Died: Sunday, 06 March 1836

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Davy Crockett was a pioneer, trapper, politician, and Freemason whose courage and fortitude created an American legend for the ages.

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From his impressive reputation as a Bear hunter, to his terms in the U.S. Congress, to his heroic last stand at the Alamo, Davy Crockett’s reputation as a hero and legend of the frontier is one of the most deeply imprinted upon the American psyche. Born in 1786 in South Carolina, Crockett would spend most of his adult life in Tennessee, living on what was then the wilderness frontier of the United States. He became a trapper, and was renowned and beloved for his tall tales. It is unknown exactly when he became a Freemason, but his masonic apron is preserved to this day in Tennessee.

In 1827 he became a congressional representative for Tennessee, and was renowned for opposing Andrew Jackson’s removal of Indians to the west in the trail of tears. He rejected political parties, holding that he was a man of his own decisions, no one else's. When he wasn’t re-elected he famously said to the people who didn’t vote for him “Y’all can go to Hell, I’m going to Texas.”

At the time Texas was still a part of Mexico, but revolutionary fervor was building in the state to break away. Crockett arrived just in time to join, and even lead the tide of revolution. Distinguishing himself in battle, he eventually lead the Texan defense of the Alamo against overwhelming Mexican forces. Though a loss, the heroic stand there in 1836 by Crockett and the other volunteers holding the fort would go down as a battle cry and inspiration for generations to come. Throughout his life, Crockett was an exemplar of the Masonic values of self-determination, obedience to principal, and strength of character.