Famous Masons

Many men throughout history have been members of our fraternity.

In these pages we will present you with them and try to impress upon you the great men that have been Masons.

Famous Mason Categories
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Photo of Joseph Ignace Guillotin

Joseph Guillotin

Proposed Guillotine
Birthday: May 28, 1738 Deceased: March 26, 1814

Biography

French physician and freemason who proposed on 10 October 1789 the use of a device to carry out death penalties in France, as a less painful method of execution. While he did not invent the guillotine, and in fact opposed the death penalty, his name became an eponym for it. The actual inventor of the prototype was Antoine Louis.