While much mention is made of Albert Pike, one of the greatest contributors in the history of the Scottish Rite, still many of us know little about him. We have all heard his name, seen his pictures, read his quotes. But precious few have actually read his books — or even know much about him. This short biography, then, we hope might inspire some research into the life and character of this remarkable man.
Albert Pike was born December 29, 1809, in Boston, MA. He was born into a poor family, his father was a shoemaker and farmer whose weekly wages were typically less than $4.50. The family was respectable, moral, hardworking, but without the luxury of disposable income. It took several months of weekly payments, for example, for the family to purchase their Bible.
Pike numbers among his ancestors some interesting and boisterous folk. John Pike (1613 –1689) founded Woodbridge, NJ. Nicholas Pike was a friend of George Washington, and penned the first widely-used math book published, in 1788, in the US. Zebulon Montgomery Pike was something of an avid explorer; he traveled through the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere courting danger and adventure.
Obviously, Albert Pike had a gifted mind. Among other subjects, he taught himself Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. He was a voracious reader. Many anecdotes persist of his remarkable ability to read through dense and voluminous works in a matter of days. By teaching at his local school, in Essex County, MA, he raised enough money to cover one term at Harvard, where he was accepted in August, 1825. Upon discovering that the college required payment for two terms in advance, while he had saved enough for just one, he changed his mind and abandoned the school.
In 1831 he set off west. He traveled far, a great deal of it on foot. He traveled to St.
Louis, then to Independence, MS, and joined an expedition to Taos, NM. He spent much time trapping, hunting, and walking in the wilderness.
In 1833 he settled in Arkansas, teaching again to pay his way. He began contributing articles to the Arkansas Advocate, with some success – in a short time he was asked aboard as a writer, and in 1835, after his marriage to Mary Ann Hamilton (which dowry afforded some ready cash), he acquired the paper as its sole owner. He then began studying law.
In 1837 he was admitted to the bar in Arkansas. He sold the Advocate and began practicing law. His authorship of the Arkansas Book of Forms is said to have garnered him an amount of prestige as an authority on jurisprudence. He was recognized for his legal mind and, no doubt, as a philosopher of law.
He became the leader of the Whig party in AK, until the party dissolved in 1856, when he joined the Know-Nothing party. The Know-Nothings were predominantly concerned with limiting immigration and curbing perceived Papist influence in North America.
In 1843 Pike became the Captain of the Little Rock Guards, an artillery unit. This post made him an attractive appointment in1846 as a cavalry troop commander in the Mexican-American war. His time serving in this conflict would feature strongly in his poetry. It was during this time that his disagreements with his commanding officer, John Selden Roane, led to the famous duel in which neither party was wounded, despite the firing of two shots each and both men known marksmen. After the duel, which was ultimately settled by each man’s seconds, Pike and Roane caroused together at Fort Smith. Pike, it is said, calmly smoked a cigar throughout the confrontation.
In 1853 Pike returned to practicing law, now in New Orleans. Here he wrote Maxims of the Roman Law and Some of the Ancient French Law as Expounded and Applied in Doctrine and Jurisprudence, which added more recognition and austerity to his name.
In 1857 he returned to Arkansas. He represented various Indian tribes, gaining a settlement of $800,000 for the Creeks and surrounding tribes from the federal government.
In 1859 he was appointed Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, after a rapid rise through the degrees. He had attained the 32º just 6 years previously, in 1853; he was made a member of the 33º in 1857, before his appointment as Grand Commander in 1859 – the same year he turned down an honorary Ph.D. from Harvard – and maintained that post until his death, in 1891. He was a vital influence on, and contributor to, the revision of the Rite’s ritual.
At the outbreak of the civil war, he was appointed envoy to the native Americans. He was efficacious in negotiating treaties, the most famous of which was with the Cherokee chief, John Ross, in 1861.
Pike joined the Confederate cause in the civil war, despite (apparently) supporting the ideal of a united country. On Nov. 22, 1861 he was appointed Brigadier General and given a command in Indian Territory. Here he trained Indian troops, and led them to victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge.
In 1871 he published the first edition of Morals and Dogma, his exposition on the symbolism surrounding the degrees of the Scottish Rite, demonstrating a far reaching grasp of esoteric philosophy. His written works are voluminous, comprehensive and complex. He drew influence from the old texts of India, Egypt, and the Levant, describing the ladder of mystical assent to the comprehension of the Deity, the coming of the worlds, and the necessity of being.
He is the only Confederate general with a statue in Washington DC (in Judiciary Square). Among other national monuments to this great man, the Albert Pike Highway runs from Hot Springs, AK, to Colorado Springs.
Much more could be said – for his is a rich and intriguing history – but we leave it up to you. May his life and times be, as he had hoped, an inspiration for you to become better than yourself, an ready example to work in service and duty to your fellowman, and a lasting encouragement to labor for a better world for future generations. So mote it be!