| Mason | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Current region | Eastern United States |
| Place of origin | Pershore,Worcestershire,England |
| Members | George Mason IV Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803) Armistead Thomson Mason James Murray Mason John Thomson Mason Jr. Stevens Thomson Mason (1811–1843) |
| Connected families | Fairfax family Fitzhugh family Lee family Mercer family Randolph family Taliaferro family Spannagel family Street family |
| Estate | Gunston Hall |
TheMason family ofVirginia is a historically significantAmericanpolitical family of English origin, whose prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics, business, and the military. Theprogenitor of the Mason family,George Mason I (1629–1686),[1][2] arrived atNorfolk,Virginia on the shipAssurance in 1652.[2][3] Mason was aCavalier member of theParliament of England during the reign ofCharles I of England. George Mason I's great-grandson wasGeorge Mason IV (1725–1792), anAmericanpatriot, statesman, and delegate fromVirginia to theU.S. Constitutional Convention. Along withJames Madison, George Mason IV is known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights."[4][5][6][7] For these reasons, Mason is considered one of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States[8][9] and raised the Mason family to national political prominence.
George Mason II (1660–1716)[2][3][10] and his sonGeorge Mason III (1690–1735)[2][3][11][12] both served as a member of theHouse of Burgesses,Stafford County sheriff, Stafford County county lieutenant, Stafford County militia colonel, planters, andbusinesspersons. George Mason III's son and George Mason IV's younger brother,Thomson Mason (1733–1785),[13] was apatriot, statesman, and delegate fromVirginia to theU.S. Constitutional Convention. Thomson Mason's son,Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803)[14][15] served as a colonel in theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War, a member of theVirginia state legislature, and as aRepublicanU.S. Senator from Virginia (1794–1803). Another of Thomson Mason's sons,John Thomson Mason (1765–1824)[15][16] was ajurist andAttorney General of Maryland in 1806.[15] Thomson Mason's grandsonJohn Thomson Mason (1787–1850)[15][17][18][19] was alawyer,United States marshal, Secretary ofMichigan Territory from 1830 through 1831,[15] land agent, and an important figure in theTexas Revolution.[18] His sonStevens Thomson Mason (1811–1843),[20][21] was also territorial governor of theMichigan Territory, and later governor of the state ofMichigan.[20][21] He was first appointed acting Territorial Secretary at the age of 19, then became acting Territorial Governor in 1834 at the age of 22. George Mason IV's grandsonJames Murray Mason (1798–1871)[15][22] was aUnited States Representative andUnited States Senator fromVirginia and represented theConfederate States of America as appointed commissioner of the Confederacy to Great Britain and France between 1861 and 1865 during theAmerican Civil War.
