Most Worshipful Brother Ferdinand Erickson
Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah 1953.
Brother Ferdinand Erickson, our Seventy-eighth Grand Master, was born at Monroe, Utah, on November 8, 1894, a son of Fernando and Catherine Erickson.
He received his elementary education in the public schools at Monroe and his high school work at the Brigham Young High School at Provo. He then entered the University of Utah where he continued his school work until April 7, 1917, when war was declared on Ger-many.
He served in the United States Army from April 7, 1917 until May of 1919, seventeen months of which were in Europe with the l68th Infantry of the Rainbow Division and was promoted from a Private to a Captain while in Europe.
Upon his discharge from the Army he returned to Monroe and taught in the local High School for one year. He then entered Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., and began the study of Law. While attending Law School he taught at the Technical High School at Washington, D. C. After one year at Georgetown he entered George Washington University from which he received his L. L. B. degree in 1924. While at George Washington University he was Magister of the John Marshall's Inn of Phi Delta Phi, an International Law Fraternity. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta at the University of Utah.
After being admitted to the Bar in the District of Columbia, in 1924, he returned to Monroe, where he has made his home since birth, except while away attending school; serving in the Army and the four years while serving as County Attorney.
He and Miss Pearl S. Sevey of Richfield were married on September 4, 1921. They have two sons, Richard S. Erickson, a member of Hiram Lodge No. 12 of Richfield and Rodney Erickson, seventeen years of age.
He was elected County Attorney of Sevier County, Utah, in November 1924 and served in that office four years. He was elected District Attorney in 1944 and again in 1948, in which position he served from January 1, 1945 to November 15, 1950, when he resigned and was appointed Juvenile Judge of the Fourth Juvenile District of the State of Utah, a position he still occupies. In addition to his Law practice and Judicial work, he is engaged in the sheep and ranching business.
He was the first President of the Lions Club at Richfield and the first President of the Knife and Fork Club of Southern Utah. He has been active in the American Legion, having served as Past Commander, District Commander, First Vice Commander of the Department of Utah and as Judge Advocate of such Department for a number of years. He commanded Battery "E" of the 222nd Field Artillery, Utah National Guard from 1930 to 1934 and the Home Guard during the Second World War.
Brother Erickson received the Master Mason degree in Hiram Lodge No. 12, F. & A. M. of Richfield on September 16, 1925 and served as Master of his Lodge during the year 1942; received the Scottish Rite degrees 4th to 32nd, April 24 to 27, 1950, in the Utah Bodies and was Created a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, A. A. O. N. M. S. in EI Kalah Temple on November 15, 1950.
When he has completed his term of office as M. .W:.Grand Master, he will have served seven years as an officer of the M:.W:. Grand Lodge, F. & A. M. of Utah, in the following order:
January 28, 1947 Senior Grand Steward
January 27, 1948 Senior Grand Deacon
January 25, 1949 Grand Orator
January 24, 1950 Junior Grand Warden
January 23, 1951 Senior Grand Warden
January 29, 1952 Deputy Grand Master
January 26, 1953 M.W. Grand Master
Being possessed with a keen analytical mind; a personality that has won for him a host of friends; his yeam of valued experience in his profession, together with a Will to do all things well that are worth doing at all, appear to be ample evidence that he will serve this Grand Lodge throughout the coming Masonic year with efficiency and fidelity.
Utah Grand Lodge Proceedings, 1953.
PGM, Ferinand Erickson died on June 9, 1980 at Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah Grand Lodge Proceedings, 1981, page 51.
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