Thomas Wildey

Thomas Wildey (* January 15, 1782 in London, † October 19, 1861 ) was an English craftsman and founder of the Odd Fellow - Order ( IOOF ).

Life

Thomas Wildey was born in 1782 in London and at the age of five years for full orphans. At the age of 14 he went to live with an uncle and was trained as a coach builder. 1817 emigrated Wildey to America and founded under the impression of just survived yellow fever epidemic and its consequences, a simultaneous high unemployment and an immense pressure on the settlers on April 26, 1819 in Baltimore, the Washington lodge No.1. He created so unlike the English Odd Fellows a medal in the friendship, love and truth are the highest bids and brotherhood, mutual aid and support to the principles of counting. The new order made ​​no distinction between race, religion and political affiliation. Just two years after the founding of the Grand Lodge of Washington lodge Maryland was founded. 1826 Wildey traveled back to England and obtained there a charter which renounced him from the English Odd Fellows and he gave permission to start outside England lodges and Grand Lodges. Due to his own childhood it was Wildey to help a concern, need to provide widows and orphans and to bury the dead. This motto has survived to this day.

As Wildey died in 1861, in America were already more than 200 000 men in the IOOF occurred. Loge founded in Germany, the Württemberg Lodge No. - 1870 then the first Odd Fellow was. 1 in Stuttgart.