American politician (1756–1831)
Jonathan Mason
Portrait of Mason,
c. 1850 In office November 14, 1800 – March 3, 1803Preceded by
Benjamin Goodhue Succeeded by
John Quincy Adams In office March 4, 1817 – May 15, 1820Preceded by
Artemas Ward Jr. Succeeded by
Benjamin Gorham In office 1799–1800In office 1786–1796
Born (1756-09-12 ) September 12, 1756
Boston ,
Province of Massachusetts Bay ,
British America Died November 1, 1831(1831-11-01) (aged 75)
Boston , Massachusetts, U.S. Political party
Federalist
Alma mater
College of New Jersey Profession
Law Signature
Jonathan Mason (September 12, 1756 – November 1, 1831) was a
Federalist
United States Senator and
Representative from
Massachusetts during the early years of the
United States .
Early life
Portrait of his father, Jonathan Mason, painted by the Senator's son, Jonathan Mason, in 1822, after the original by John Johnston
Mason was born in
Boston in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay on September 12, 1756. He was a son of Jonathan Mason (1725–1798) and Miriam (
née Clarke) Mason (1724–1794).
[1]
He attended
Boston Latin School the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University ), graduating in 1774. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1779.
[2]
Career
In 1780, Mason delivered the annual address marking the Boston Massacre.
[3]
Starting in 1795, Mason was a partner in the
Mount Vernon Proprietors , a developer of real estate in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. Around 1800 he built a mansion for himself on Mt. Vernon Street, in which he lived through the end of his life. Around 1804 he hired architect Charles Bulfinch to design 4 houses, also on Mt. Vernon Street, for each of his daughters; the 4 houses still stand today.
[4]
Mason was also a member of the South Boston Association, which developed real estate in Dorchester.
[5]
Political career
He was a Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1786 to 1796.
[2]
From 1797 to 1798, he served with the
Massachusetts Governor's Council and was elected for the following two years, and was in the
Massachusetts Senate from 1799 to 1800. Following the resignation of Senator
Benjamin Goodhue , he was elected to the
U.S. Senate , where he served from November 14, 1800, to March 3, 1803. He then resumed his law practice and served again in the Massachusetts Senate from 1803 to 1804 and the Massachusetts House from 1805 to 1808.
[2]
He served again in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1817, to May 15, 1820, whereupon he resigned to pursue his law practice.
[2]
Personal life
Portrait of Mrs. Jonathan Mason by
Gilbert Stuart , 1805
Portrait of his daughter, Anna, by
Gilbert Stuart , 1804
On April 13, 1779, Mason married Susannah Powell (1760–1836). Together, they were the parents of five daughters and two sons:
Susan Powell Mason (1783–1841), who married Dr.
John Collins Warren , son of Dr.
John Warren , founder of
Harvard Medical School .
[6]
Elizabeth Mason (1784–1826), who married attorney
Samuel Dunn Parker , son of
Samuel Parker ,
Bishop of Massachusetts .
[7]
Anna Powell Mason (1789–1861), who married Scottish widower Patrick Grant in 1807.
[8]
Miriam Clarke Mason (1790–1861), who married businessman
David Sears .
[9]
[10]
William Powell Mason (1791–1867), who married Hannah Rogers, a descendant of
Harvard president
John Rogers and of
Thomas Dudley , governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony .
[11]
Mary Bromfield Mason (1793–1874), who married Samuel Henry Parkman.
[12]
Jonathan Mason (1795–1884), who married Isabella Weyman.
[13]
[14]
Between 1804 and 1805,
Gilbert Stuart painted his portrait and that of his wife Susannah and daughter Anna.
[15]
Mason died in Boston, at age 75.
[16] He is interred in
Mount Auburn Cemetery in
Cambridge, Massachusetts .
[17]
[18]
Descendants
Through his son William he was a grandfather of
Elizabeth Rogers Mason Cabot , the wife of Walter Channing Cabot (son of
Samuel Cabot Jr. ). Elizabeth was involved in running the
Home for Aged Colored Women in Boston, as well as the
Children's Aid Society and the
Woman's Education Association .
[19]
References
^ Department, Boston (Mass ) Registry (1898).
Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston . Rockwell and Churchill. p. 254. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d
"MASON, Jonathan 1756 – 1831" . bioguide.congress.gov .
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Loring, James Spear (1853).
The Hundred Boston Orators Appointed by the Municipal Authorities and Other Public Bodies, from 1770 to 1852: Comprising Historical Gleanings Illustrating the Principles and Progress of Our Republican Institutions . J. P. Jewett. p. 139. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Dictionary of American biography.
^ Seasholes, Nancy S. (April 13, 2018).
Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston .
MIT Press . p. 288.
ISBN
978-0-262-53483-3 . Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Warren, Thomas (1902).
A History and Genealogy of the Warren Family in Normandy, Great Britain and Ireland, France, Holland, Tuscany, United States of America, Etc. (A.D. 912-1902): With Numerous Pedigrees . Richard Clay & Sons. p. 366. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Revolution, Daughters of the American (1898).
Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution .
Daughters of the American Revolution . p. 265. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^
The New England Historical and Genealogical Register .
New England Historic Genealogical Society . 1874. p. 53. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Wexler, Dorothy B. (March 5, 2014).
Reared in a Greenhouse: The Stories and Story of Dorothy Winthrop Bradford . Routledge. p. 18.
ISBN
978-1-135-67865-4 . Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Freeman, Frederick (1862).
The Annals of the thirteen towns of Barnstable County . Freeman. p. 602. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^
"Collection: Diaries of Elizabeth Rogers Mason Cabot, 1859-1906 | HOLLIS for" . hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu . Retrieved September 23, 2022 .
^ Dwight, Benjamin (August 15, 2023).
The History of the Descendants of John Dwight: Vol. II . BoD – Books on Demand. p. 899.
ISBN
978-3-368-83363-3 . Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^
Court of Appeals: On Appeal from the Genera Term of the Supreme Court for the first department . p. 68. Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ Roberts, Cokie (September 19, 2011).
First of Hearts: Selected Letters of Mrs. Henry Adams . AuthorHouse. p. 4.
ISBN
978-1-4634-2453-4 . Retrieved December 8, 2023 .
^ George Mason. Life and works of Gilbert Stuart.
^ Biographical dictionary of America.
^
Political Graveyard .
^ United States Congress.
"Jonathan Mason (id: M000221)" .
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress .
^
"Rogers-Mason-Cabot Family Papers" .
Massachusetts Historical Society . 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2022 .
Further reading
Obituary. Columbian Centinel, November 6, 1831.
Mary Caroline Crawford. Famous families of Massachusetts. 1930.
International National People Other