David Haven Mason (March 17, 1818 – May 29, 1873) was an American attorney and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, who served on the Massachusetts Board of Education, in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, and later as the

United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was held ...

from 1870 until his death in 1873.

Early life

Mason was born on March 17, 1818, in

Sullivan, New Hampshire Sullivan is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 658 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It includes the villages of East Sullivan and Ellisville. ...

, to John and Mary (Haven) Mason. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1841 and studied at law in

Lancaster, New Hampshire Lancaster is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Coös County, New Hampshire, Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The town is named after the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster in England. As of the 2020 ce ...

, Boston, Massachusetts, and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Legal career

Mason was admitted to the Suffolk County bar in 1843 and began practicing in Boston. Lacking family or personal wealth, Mason was left with only twenty-five cents after securing his office and purchasing office furniture and law books. He was eventually able to establish a successful practice. In 1848 he moved from Boston to Newton, Massachusetts, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1860 Mason was appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Education. As a member of the board, Mason was influential in the establishment of the State Normal School at Framingham. Mason represented Newton in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1863, 1866 and 1867. In the House he was a leading proponent of the leveling of Boston's Fort Hill, the merger of the Western Railroad and the

Boston and Worcester Railroad The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Pass ...

, and the adoption of the

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. Often considered as one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses citizenship rights and ...

. From 1864 to 1870 Mason was a member of the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...

. On December 22, 1870, he was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. Mason died on May 29, 1873, at his home in Newton. The town of Newton named one of its grammar schools in his honor (now known as Mason-Rice Elementary School).

Personal life

Mason married Sarah Wilson White on June 16, 1845. They had five children: *

Edward Haven Mason Edward Haven Mason (June 8, 1849 – March 21, 1917), of Boston, Massachusetts, was the first philatelist to study, and to write on, proofs and essays of United States postage stamps and postal stationery. Collecting interests Mason specialize ...

(1849–1917), an attorney and philatelist *Elizabeth Amelia White Mason (1853–1864) *Harry White Mason (1857–1929), an attorney *

Frank A. Mason Frank Atlee Mason (April 12, 1862 – June 29, 1940) was an American college football coach and an attorney. He was the first full-time football coach at Harvard University. Early life Mason was born on April 12, 1862 in Newton, Massachusetts to ...

(1862–1940), an attorney and the first full-time football coach at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. *Mabel White (Mason) Mowton (1867–1931) He was a distant relative of

Rufus Osgood Mason Rufus Osgood Mason (January 22, 1830, in Sullivan, New Hampshire – May 11, 1903, in New York City) was a physician, surgeon, and teacher and an early researcher in parapsychology and hypnotherapy.Carlos S. Alvarado, "Rufus Osgood Mason (1830– ...

, who also grew up in Sullivan, New Hampshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, David H. 1818 births 1873 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Boston People from Sullivan, New Hampshire Politicians from Newton, Massachusetts United States Attorneys for the District of Massachusetts Lawyers from Boston 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Massachusetts politicians