Albert G. Mackey | |
|---|---|
 Albert Mackey about 1870 | |
| Born | (1807-03-13)March 13, 1807 |
| Died | June 21, 1881(1881-06-21) (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | Pioneering Masonic author and encyclopedian |
| Children | Edmund Mackey |
Albert Gallatin Mackey (March 12, 1807 – June 20, 1881) was an American medical doctor and author. He is best known for his books and articles aboutfreemasonry, particularly theMasonic Landmarks. A unionist, he was a delegate to South Carolina's post-civil war constitutional convention, serving as the body's president, and held federal office.
Albert Gallatin Mackey was born inCharleston, South Carolina, the son of John Mackey (1765 – December 14, 1831), a physician, journalist and educator. His father publishedThe American Teacher's Assistant and Self-Instructor's Guide, containing all the Rules of Arithmetic properly Explained, etc. (Charleston, 1826), the most comprehensive work on arithmetic that had been published in the United States.[1] His son wasEdmund William McGregor Mackey who became a member of theU.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina.
After completing his early education, Albert Mackey taught school for some time to earn money for medical school. He graduated from the medical department of theCollege of South Carolina in 1832. He settled inCharleston, South Carolina. In 1838 he was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in that institution.
In 1844 he abandoned the practice of medicine. For the rest of his life, he wrote on a variety of subjects, but specialized in the study of several languages, the Middle Ages, andFreemasonry.[1] After being connected with several Charleston journals, he established in 1849The Southern and Western Masonic Miscellany, a weekly magazine. He maintained it for three years, mostly by his own expense. He conducted aQuarterly 1858-1860 which he devoted to the same interests.
He acquired the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and continental languages almost unaided, and lectured frequently on the intellectual and moral development of theMiddle Ages. Subsequently, he turned his attention exclusively to the investigation of abstruse symbolism, and tocabalistic andTalmudic researches.[1]
Mackey was the Master of Solomon's Lodge No.1 in 1843. He served as Grand Lecturer and Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of South Carolina, as well as Secretary General of theSupreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.[2]
Mackey was a Union sympathizer during the Civil War and in July, 1865, PresidentAndrew Johnson appointed him Collector of the Port of Charleston. He was a delegate and president of the1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention.[3] He ran for theUnited States Senate in South Carolina in 1868, but was narrowly defeated by RepublicanFrederick A. Sawyer.
Mackey moved toWashington, D.C. in 1870. He died inFortress Monroe, Virginia in 1881.[1]
Mackey's books were often revised and expanded during and after his lifetime, and published by many different publishers.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
The Symbolism of Freemasonry, 1882
