Beverley Randolph Mason (1 September 1834–22 April 1910) was an American military officer and educator who was the founder and principal of the Gunston Hall School for young women in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Mason was a great-grandson of

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...

, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights.

Early life and education

Mason was born at

Okeley Manor Okeley Manor was an early 19th-century plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Okeley, the residence of prominent Alexandria physician Richard Chichester Mason (1793–1869), was one of the principal Mason family estates in Norther ...

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

on 1 September 1834. He was a son of Dr.

Richard Chichester Mason Richard Chichester Mason (7 May 1793 – 22 July 1869) was an American planter, physician and politician in Fairfax County, Virginia, which he twice represented in the Virginia House of Delegates. Mason also practiced medicine in Alexandria, Vir ...

and his wife Lucy Bolling Randolph.

American Civil War

At the onset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Mason volunteered as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the Black Horse Cavalry of

Fauquier County Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 160 ...

, Virginia. Soon afterward, Mason was detailed to act as

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. Mason also efficiently supplied food to his command. He gained a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

's commission in the

4th Virginia Cavalry The 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. History The Virginia 4th Cavalry comp ...

, and later a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

's rank as assistant commissary in

Fitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of Sydney Smi ...

's division, where he was universally beloved and respected. Mason was made

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

in 1864.

Educator

A the close of the war, Major Mason engaged in business and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he took up the profession of teaching. For a period of time after the war, Mason taught at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Afterward, he returned Virginia, where in 1875, he married Elizabeth "Bettie" Harrison Nelson of

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Charl ...

. Mason then taught as a teacher in mathematics and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

at the Norwood Institute. National Museum of American Jewish Military History

Mason and his wife relocated to

where they both engaged in teaching and founded a school for young ladies known as the Gunston Hall School, named for the

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

of his great-grandfather

. Gunston Hall School was located at 3017 O Street, N.W. in a large yellow Georgetown mansion that was the former residence of Commodore

Stephen Cassin Stephen Cassin (16 February 1783 – 29 August 1857) was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. Early life and military career Born in Philadelphia, the son of naval officer John Cassin, Cassin en ...

, built in the early 19th century. Mason and his wife opened their school in the mansion in 1893 for their children and the children of their intimate friends. In 1905, Mason moved Gunston Hall School to a Colonial edifice at 1906

Florida Avenue Florida Avenue is a major street in Washington, D.C. It was originally named Boundary Street, because it formed the northern boundary of the Federal City under the 1791 L'Enfant Plan. With the growth of the city beyond its original borders, Bounda ...

near 19th and T Streets, N.W. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' hailed Mason's Gunston Hall School as the "foremost among Washington's institutions for the education of girls and young ladies." Gunston Hall School continued as a flourishing

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for young women for 50 years. After its closure, the building housed Epiphany School, an Episcopal institution. The building is currently the home of the National Museum of American Jewish Military History. Mason's character impressed itself upon his students and his influence among them was widely felt and acknowledged by the students of successive years.

Marriage and children

Mason married Elizabeth "Bettie" Harrison Nelson, daughter of Keating Lewis Simmons Nelson and his wife Julia Ann Rogers, at St. Stephen's Church on 18 August 1875. The couple had six children: *

Richard Nelson Mason Richard Nelson Mason (26 June 1876 – 22 November 1940) was a prominent American educator and businessperson in Washington, D.C. Mason was a great-great-grandson of Founding Father of the United States George Mason and his wife Ann Eilbeck. Ear ...

(26 June 1876–22 November 1940) *Julia Nelson Mason Matthews (23 January 1878–27 December 1964) *Lucy Randolph Mason Moffett (31 January 1880–1 April 1965) *Margaret Thornton Mason (7 February 1882–February 1884) *Mary Wallace Mason Patchin (26 April 1884–28 August 1963) *Susan Josephine Beverley Mason Easley (17 January 1888–31 July 1962)

Death

Mason died on 22 April 1910 in

at age 75. His funeral, which took place on Sunday afternoon, 24 April, at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., was largely attended by his friends and pupils. Mason was interred after 24 April 1910 at Ivy Hill Cemetery in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Virginia. In honor of their eminent comrade, the Robert E. Lee Camp of Confederate Veterans of Alexandria attended his burial in uniform. The Reverend Herbert Scott Smith and the Reverend Samuel A. Wallis conducted his services.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Beverley Randolph 1834 births 1910 deaths American educators American Episcopalians American planters American school administrators Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Businesspeople from Virginia Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. Confederate States Army officers Founders of schools in the United States Mason family People from Fairfax County, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War American school principals Virginia Democrats Washington, D.C., Democrats People from Dupont Circle