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Jonathan Mason (politician)
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Mason was a Federalist
United States Senator
and Representative
from Massachusetts
during the early years of the United States.
Mason was born in Boston, Massachusetts. 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.
On April 13, 1779, Mason married Susannah Powell (1761–1836). They had seven children—five daughters and two sons:
In 1780, Mason delivered the annual address marking the Boston Massacre.
He was a Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1786 to 1796.
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.
Mason was also a member of the South Boston Association, which developed real estate in Dorchester.
From 1797 to 1798, he served with the Massachusetts Governor's Council
and was elected to the 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 4, 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.
His portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart
in 1805.
He served again in the US House of Representatives from March 4, 1817, to May 15, 1820, whereupon he resigned to pursue his law practice. He died in Boston, at age 75. He is interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
during the early years of the United States.
Mason was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
), graduating in 1774. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1779.
On April 13, 1779, Mason married Susannah Powell (1761–1836). They had seven children—five daughters and two sons:
- Miriam Clarke (1790–1870); married David Sears.
- Susan Powell (d.1841); married John Collins WarrenJohn Collins WarrenJohn Collins Warren , of Boston, was one of the most renowned American surgeons of the 19th century. In 1846 he gave permission to William T.G. Morton to provide ether anesthesia while Warren performed a minor surgical procedure...
on November 17, 1803. - Anna Powell (d.1861); married Patrick Grant.
- Mary Bromfield;
- Elizabeth (1784-1826); married Samuel Dunn Parker on December 12, 1807 in Boston, MA.
- Jonathan (1795-1884); married Elizabeth Cowpland(?)
- William Powell(1791-1867); married Hannah Rogers.
In 1780, Mason delivered the annual address marking the Boston Massacre.
He was a Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from 1786 to 1796.
Starting in 1795, Mason was a partner in the Mount Vernon Proprietors
Mount Vernon Proprietors
Mount Vernon Proprietors is a real estate firm located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded at the end of the 18th century, it developed land on the south slope of Beacon Hill into a desirable residential neighborhood.-History:...
, 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.
Mason was also a member of the South Boston Association, which developed real estate in Dorchester.
From 1797 to 1798, he served with the Massachusetts Governor's Council
Massachusetts Governor's Council
The Massachusetts Governor's Council is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matters such as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations to the Governor of Massachusetts...
and was elected to the for the following two years, and was in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from 1799 to 1800. Following the resignation of Senator Benjamin Goodhue
Benjamin Goodhue
Benjamin Goodhue was a Representative and a Senator from Massachusetts.Goodhue was born in Salem, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College in 1766. He worked as a merchant and became a member of the State house of representatives 1780-1782 and later a State senator in 1783 and 1786-1788...
, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from November 14, 1800 to March 4, 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.
His portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
in 1805.
He served again in the US House of Representatives from March 4, 1817, to May 15, 1820, whereupon he resigned to pursue his law practice. He died in Boston, at age 75. He is interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Further reading
- Obituary. Columbian Centinel, November 6, 1831.
- Mary Caroline Crawford. Famous families of Massachusetts. 1930.