Junior Grand Warden
R.W.Bro. John C. Barnett was elected and installed as Senior Grand Warden on February 7, 2025.
John was born and raised in Oregon and first moved to Alaska in 1971. John started his working career as a mineral exploration geologist in 1973 and for the next couple decades worked extensively throughout Alaska and the western US, initially as a corporate geologist then as a mineral exploration consultant. In 1990, John was appointed by Alaska’s Governor Steve Cowper to become the Executive Director of Alaska’s Board of Storage Tank Assistance and retained that position under both Governor Walter Hickel and Governor Tony Knowles. In 2007, he was employed with the State of Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) and eventually became DOT&PF’s Southcoast Regional Environmental Manager. John retired from DOT&PF in 2019.
From 2000-2006 John served as a 2LT with the 1st Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade in the Alaska Defense Force (Formerly Alaska Territorial Guard), and then from 2007-2010 in the Alaska State Readiness Brigade (reserve unit). He is a Past-President of the Juneau Golf Club, Past Director of the Alaska Miners Association, and Past-Commodore of the Juneau Sailing Club. He is a certified private pilot, Master Scuba Diver, Divemaster, and holds an Extra Class Ham Radio License. His current hobbies include ham radio, fly fishing, fly tying, fly rod building, deep sea fishing, competitive pistol and trap shooting, hunting, motorcycle touring, sailing, cocktail mixology, and antique sword and knife collecting. He also has a fondness for rodeos and holds a permanent box seat at the Pendleton Roundup in Pendleton, Oregon.
Mr. Barnett has been quite active in Masonry since he was Raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in 2001. He is a Master of Mt. Juneau-Gastineaux Lodge #21 (2005 & 2022), Past District Deputy to the Grand Master (2022) of the Grand Lodge of Alaska for District 4, Past Grand Orator (2018, 2023) and Past Grand Lecturer (2020, 2021) for the Grand Lodge of Alaska. He has been the Captain of the Square Shooters Masonic Trap Team in Juneau since 2015. In addition, he is the current President of the Juneau Masonic Center Association and is also active with the Juneau-Douglas Shrine Club having served as their President three times. He is also the Deputy to Alaska for the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry S.J. based in Washington DC. Additionally, Sir John was granted Knighthood from the Royal Order of Scotland in 2011 and was appointed as the Royal Order of Scotland Screening and Selection Committee Representative for Alaska in 2022.
John has been the recipient of numerous awards during his Masonic career including Blue Lodge Mason of the year in 2011 and Scottish Rite Mason of the Year in 2011 and again in 2012. John was a Rainbow Dad for many years, including Grand Rainbow Dad for the 2013 Alaska Grand Assembly of Rainbow Girls. In 2014 he was awarded the Grand Cross of Color by the Supreme Assembly of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, and in 2017 was inducted into the DeMolay International Legion of Honor.
John resides in Douglas, Alaska, is a widower, has two daughters and three grandchildren, a Toy Maltese dog named Ivy, and a Senegal Parrot named Kiwi. John’s Lady and partner is the lovely Diane Quinn.
