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
Articles of ConfederationAstronautsBusinessmenEntertainersExplorers and FrontiersmenGovernorsMilitary Leaders
PoliticianPresidentsSenatorSigner Declaration of IndependenceSportsSupreme Court JusticeUS Constitution

Members on this page are Politicians

A politician is a person who campaigns for or holds a position in government. A politician may start a career by running for a local office, like mayor, but could eventually serve nationally — in Congress or even as President.

Politician can mean someone who identifies with a major political party. Sometimes voters prefer to elect candidates who aren’t career politicians, with more allegiance to the party they represent than the people they serve. A general frustration with politicians has resulted in the use of politician to refer to people who act to gain an advantage for themselves. The office politician may lobby the boss to get preferential treatment, for example.

Photo of William John Hughes

William Hughes

Congressman
Birthday: October 17, 1932

Biography

Served as a Democratic Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995, representing New Jersey?s Second Congressional District which includes major portions of the Jersey Shore and Pine Barrens, the cities of Vineland and Atlantic City, and the counties of Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, Cape May and part of Gloucester. After retiring from Congress in 1995, Hughes was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Ambassador to Panama, a post he held until October, 1998 leading up to the historic turnover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control. During his tenure in Congress, Hughes was a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where he chaired the Subcommittee on Crime (1981?1990) and the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration (1991?1994).