John Thomson Mason (15 March 1765 – 10 December 1824)[1][2] was an American lawyer and Attorney General of Maryland in 1806.[2]
John Thomson Mason | |
|---|---|
| Attorney General of Maryland | |
| In office 1806–1806 | |
| Governor | Robert Bowie |
| Preceded by | William Pinkney |
| Succeeded by | John Johnson Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 March 1765 Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Colony of Virginia |
| Died | 10 December 1824 (aged 59) |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Beltzhoover |
| Children | 7, including John Thomson Mason Jr. |
| Residence(s) | Montpelier, Clear Spring, Maryland |
| Profession | Attorney |
Early life
Mason was born on 15 March 1765 at Chopawamsic in Stafford County, Virginia.[1][2] He was the third child and youngest son of Thomson Mason and his wife Mary King Barnes.[1]
Education
Early career
Mason operated a plantation in what was then Washington County, Maryland near Elizabethtown (now Hagerstown using enslaved labor.[3]
Admitted to the Maryland bar, he attained high rank,[4] but twice declined the office of United States Attorney General when it was offered by Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.[4] Mason ran for one of Maryland's seats in the United States Senate, but lost.[4] He then served as Attorney General of Maryland in 1806.[2] He was also one of six judges appointed to a newly restructured court of appeals by Governor Robert Bowie on 19 January 1806, but declined the appointment.[5]
Marriages and children
Mason married Elizabeth Beltzhoover in 1797.[1][2] He and Elizabeth had seven children:[1][2]
- Mary Barnes Mason Winter (c. 1800–11 May 1844)[1]
- Elizabeth Ann Armistead Thomson Mason Wharton (4 April 1803–20 January 1857)[1]
- Abram Barnes Mason Barnes (21 October 1807–10 April 1863)[1]
- Melchior Beltzhoover Mason (born 3 October 1812)[1]
- John Thomson Mason, Jr. (9 May 1815–28 March 1873)[1]
- Thomson Mason (15 July 1818–1848)[1]
- Virginia Wallace Mason (16 April 1820–6 October 1858)[1]
Later life
Mason died on 10 December 1824 at the age of 59.[1] Mason was interred at his Montpelier estate in Clear Spring, Maryland.[6]
Relations
John Thomson Mason was a nephew of George Mason (1725–1792);[1] son of Thomson Mason (1733–1785);[1] brother of Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803);[1] half-brother of William Temple Thomson Mason (1782–1862);[1] first cousin of George Mason V (1753–1796);[1] first cousin once removed of Thomson Francis Mason (1785–1838), George Mason VI (1786–1834), Richard Barnes Mason (1797–1850), and James Murray Mason (1798–1871);[1] uncle of Armistead Thomson Mason (1787–1819) and John Thomson Mason (1787–1850);[1] father of John Thomson Mason Jr. (1815–1873);[1] and great uncle of Stevens Thomson Mason (1811–1843).[1]