William Ernest Mason | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromIllinois | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903 | |
| Preceded by | John M. Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Albert J. Hopkins |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois | |
| In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | James Hugh Ward |
| Succeeded by | Allan C. Durborow, Jr. |
| Constituency | 3rd district |
| In office March 4, 1917 – June 16, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | William E. Williams |
| Succeeded by | Winnifred S. M. Huck |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Member of theIllinois Senate | |
| Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1850-07-07)July 7, 1850 Franklinville, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 1921(1921-06-16) (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Signature | .png) |
William Ernest Mason (July 7, 1850 – June 16, 1921) was aRepublicanU.S. representative andsenator fromIllinois. He was the father ofWinnifred Sprague Mason Huck.
Mason was born inFranklinville,New York. His family moved toBentonsport,Iowa when he was 8. He attended Birmingham College. After graduating, he taught at Bentonsport Academy, which he had previously attended. After studying law, he moved toChicago in 1872 and was admitted to the bar.[1]
Mason was elected to Congress in 1886 and again two years later. Following his defeat in 1890, he returned to law practice in Chicago in 1891 but was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1896. After one term, he returned to Chicago. He served three more terms in the House from 1917 until his death. Mason often was an opponent of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs. He delivered a fiery speech advocating self-governance for the Philippines during thePhilippine–American War at the turn of the 20th century: "You cannot govern the Philippine Islands without taxing them. You have not yet their consent to tax them. You propose again to tax them without representation. Look out for tea parties"[2] On April 5, 1917, he was one of 50 representatives who voted against declaring war on Germany.[3]
He is buried inOakwood Cemetery inWaukegan, Illinois.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 1887–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's at-large congressional district March 4, 1917 – June 16, 1921 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Illinois 1897–1903 Served alongside:Shelby M. Cullom | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Post Office and Post Roads (1816–1947) |  | |
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| Civil Service and Retrenchment (1873–1921) | ||
| Civil Service (1921–1947) | ||
| Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1977) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
