Most Worshipful Brother John Austin Emigh was born in Seattle on March 7, 1896, the third of eight children of Ward Emigh and Margaret Moulton Emigh. The family moved to Walla Walla in October of 1897, where the father engaged in the creamery business.
He attended the public schools of Walla Walla, and was a student at the University of Washington when he was called into the services of his country in 1918. He was later associated with his father in the creamery business both in Walla Walla and Eastern Oregon, continuing in the family business after his father’s death in 1922.
John Emigh was brought to Masonic Light in La Grande Lodge No. 41, Ancient Free & Accepted Masonsof Oregon, on July 2, 1920; passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft Mason on January 14, 1921; and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on March 11, 1921. On March 4, 1924 he affiliated with Blue Mountain Lodge No. 13 at Walla Walla, where he was appointed Junior Steward in January 1927.He served as Worshipful Master of Blue Mountain Lodge No. 13in 1931.
He first attended Grand Lodge in Tacoma in 1929 when Junior Warden of his Lodge. In recognition of his active interest in Masonry he was appointed Junior Grand Deacon in 1931, Grand Marshal in 1933 and then from June, 1934 to June, 1937 he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Home at Zenith. To this position he devoted a tremendous amount of energy, bringing to the Home good sound business influence, the same type of which has marked him an outstanding success in his own private business. He was appointed Senior Grand Deacon in June 1937, was elected Junior Grand Warden in 1938, and was successfully advanced in the line to the position of Grand Master in June 1941. During his term as Grand Master he was made an honorary Past Grand Master of both the Grand Lodges of Montana and Idaho.
In the middle of our Most Worshipful Brother’s year as Grand Master, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The country being in a state of war presented a variety of problems to the Craft Lodges throughout the United States, particularly those Lodges on the West Coast. Meetings were restricted, black-outs continued for a considerable period, gas and tire rationing prevented travel. At the same time petitions for the degrees were coming in at an unprecedented rate. Our Grand Master’s handling of the difficult situations presented was masterful. Under his capable direction a program for serving Masons in the Armed Services, stationed in Washington and Alaska, was developed which was much praised in Masonic publications throughout the country.
There came many requests for short cuts in the conferring of the degrees. Our Most Worshipful Grand Master resisted the clamor; pointing out that “it was useless to get men into Masonry, unless we got Masonry into the men”.
Most Worshipful Brother John Austin Emighpassed across the river that separates this world from the next on March 30, 1971.