John Thomson Mason Jr.

John Thomson Mason Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843
Preceded byFrancis Thomas
Succeeded byThomas Ara Spence
24th Secretary of State of Maryland
In office
1872–1873
GovernorWilliam Pinkney Whyte
Preceded byRichard C. Hollyday
Succeeded byRichard C. Hollyday
Member of Maryland House of Delegates
In office
1838–1839
Personal details
Born(1815-05-09)May 9, 1815
Montpelier, Clear Spring, Maryland
DiedMarch 28, 1873(1873-03-28) (aged 57)
Elkton, Maryland
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMargaret Augusta Cowan
Children4
Residence(s)Stafford Hall, Washington County, Maryland
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationAttorney

John Thomson Mason Jr. (May 9, 1815 – March 28, 1873)[1][2] was a U.S. Congressman from Maryland, representing the sixth district from 1841 to 1843.[2]

Early life and education

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Born at the Montpelier estate near Hagerstown, Maryland, Mason was educated by a private tutor and graduated from Princeton College in 1836. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Hagerstown in 1838.

Political career

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Mason later served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1838 and 1839, and was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh Congress, serving one term from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843. He was a judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1851 to 1857, and afterwards a collector of customs at Baltimore, Maryland, from 1857 to 1861. He moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and served as Secretary of State of Maryland from 1872 until his death in 1873.

Death and interment

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Mason died on March 28, 1873, in Elkton, Maryland at age 57.[1] He is interred in Rose Hill Cemetery (Maryland) in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Marriage and children

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Mason married Margaret Augusta Cowan in Alleghany City, Pennsylvania on December 14, 1842.[1] The couple had four children:[1]

  • Louise Gilmer Mason Terry (February 12, 1844–September 26, 1921)[1]
  • William Temple Thomson Mason (December 12, 1845–April 5, 1847)[1]
  • Elizabeth Mason Porter (born March 28, 1848)[1]
  • John Thomson Mason (born January 3, 1850)[1]

Relations

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John Thomson Mason Jr. was a grandnephew of George Mason (1725–1792); grandson of Thomson Mason (1733–1785);[1][2] nephew of Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803); son of John Thomson Mason (1765–1824) and Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason (1781–1836);[1][2] second cousin of Thomson Francis Mason (1785–1838);[1][2] first cousin of Armistead Thomson Mason (1787–1819), John Thomson Mason (1787–1850), and James Murray Mason (1798–1871);[1][2] and first cousin once removed of Stevens Thomson Mason (1811–1843).[1][2]

References

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  • United States Congress. "John Thomson Mason Jr. (id: M000219)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gunston Hall. "John Thomson Mason Jr". Gunston Hall. Retrieved March 7, 2009. [dead link]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The Political Graveyard (June 16, 2008). "Mason family of Virginia". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by U.S. Congressman from the 6th district of Maryland
1841–1843
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Maryland
1872–1873
Succeeded by