Most Worshipful Brother Arthur Cornelius Wherry

Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah 1919.

Brother Arthur Cornelius Wherry was born at Edgerton, Kansas, August 27th, 1880. Before becoming of school age his parents moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where he attended the public schools, graduated from high school in 1898. Shortly afterward he entered the University of Kansas at Lawrence, which he attended for a short time, when he decided to take up the study of dentistry as a profession. Before completing his course, however, in order to gain office experience, he worked for a time with his brother, a practicing dentist of Ogden, Utah. He then entered the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, a department of Lake Forest University of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1902.

Because of his love of nature and the attractions which the Rocky Mountains held for him, he decided to locate in the west, and during the spring of 1902 opened an office at Salt Lake City, where he has since lived, and today ranks as one of the leading dentists of the state, and is recognized throughout the United States as a skilled and progressive member of his profession.

He was elected president of the Salt Lake County Dental Society in 1905, and served in the same capacity for the Utah State Dental Society from 1914 to 1916. He was appointed on of the Utah State Board of Dental Examiners in 1905, serving for eight years and of which he was president for one year and secretary for six years.

Brother Wherry was married June 10th, 1903, to Miss Daisy Brewer Smith, only daughter of Brother F. P. Smith, of Lawrence Kansas. They have three children, two boys and a girl.

On September 23rd, 1913, he was appointed Grand Lecturer to fill the unexpired term of Past Grand Master G. B. Pfoutz, and while serving as such compiled and had printed the first Monitor published by the Grand Lodge of Utah.

Masonic Record

Brother Wherry was initiated in Wasatch Lodge No. 1, at Salt Lake City, March 18th, passed to the degree of Fellow Craft March 25th and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason April 1st, 1904. He was Junior Steward of his Lodge in 1905, Senior Steward in 1906, Junior Deacon in 1907, Junior Warden in 1908, Senior Warden in 1909 and Worshipful Master in 1910.

He received the Scottish Rite degrees in Jordan Lodge of Perfection No. 2, James Lowe Chapter of Rose Croix No. 1, Salt Lake Council of Kadosh No. 1 and Utah Consistory No. 1, at the fifth reunion held at Salt Lake City, April 24, 25, 26, and 27, 1905. He was elected by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite, Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, October 16th, 1917.

In the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Mason of Utah, he was appointed Senior Steward in 1909, and elected Junior Grand Warden in 1917, Senior Grand Warden in 1918, and at the Forty-eighth Annual Communication held at Lake City, January 21st and 22nd, 1919, was elected and installed Most Worshipful Grand master of Masons in Utah.

Ref: Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Utah, 1919, facing pages.

Brother Wherry died December 26, 1944 at Long Beach, California.(Ref: Grand Lodge files.)

*He was installed Illustrious Potentate of El Kalah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. in the year 1922. For many years he had been in charge of work in the Scottish Rite Reunions-was deeply interested in the construction of this Masonic Temple and upon its completion became a member of the Board of Directors and continued as such until his death.

*Ref: Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Utah, 1945.

Electronically Transcribed as written without corrections to grammar or spelling by Aaron E. Saathoff, P.M., March, 2005.