Category:Freemasons

Categorize by defining characteristics

Biographical articles should be categorized by defining characteristics. As a rule of thumb for main biographies this includes:

  • standard biographical details: year of birth, year of death and nationality
  • the reason(s) for the person's notability; i.e., the characteristics the person is best known for.

For example, a film actor who holds a law degree should be categorized as a film actor, but not as a lawyer unless their legal career was notable in its own right or relevant to their acting career. Many people had assorted jobs before taking the one that made them notable; those other jobs should not be categorized.

Similarly, celebrities commercializing a fragrance should not be in the perfumers category; not everything a celebrity does after becoming famous warrants categorization.

Membership in a fraternal order such as Freemasonry is not considered a "standard biographical detail". Thus, this Category should be added to articles on people who are notable for being Freemasons, but not to articles about those who are primarily notable for other things, and merely happen to have been (or currently are) Freemasons.
  • As an alternative to Categorization - consider adding the person to our List of Freemasons, which lists notable people who were/are Freemasons, regardless of whether they are/were notable for being Freemasons. Please note that a source, supporting the claim of membership, must be provided when adding a name to that list. References for those on the List of Freemasons are provided on that page.
  • - note - additions to this category are required to comply with WP:BLPCAT