John Calvin Mason (August 4, 1802 – August 1865) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Born near

Mount Sterling, Kentucky Mount Sterling, often written as Mt. Sterling, is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, Montgomery County, Kentucky. The population was 6,895 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Mo ...

, Mason attended country and city schools in Montgomery County and Mount Sterling Law School in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. He graduated from

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, in 1823. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and practiced in Mount Sterling. He engaged extensively in the manufacture of iron. He served as a member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

in 1839, 1844, and 1848. He served in the war with Mexico in 1846 and 1847 in Ben McCollough's company of Texas Rangers, Worth's division, under General Taylor. He moved to

Owingsville, Kentucky Owingsville is a home rule-class city in Bath County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,530 during the year 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat and is located roughly at the county's center, at the junction of US 60 and ...

, in 1847. Mason was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853). He served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852. Mason was elected to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859). He served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Thirty-fifth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1858. He served as delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. He served as presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of Douglas and Johnson in 1860. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

served with Texas State troops from

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

in 1863. He died in August 1865 near

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on board a steamer on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. He was interred in the State Cemetery,

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, John Calvin 1802 births 1865 deaths Burials at Frankfort Cemetery Kentucky lawyers Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Montgomery County, Kentucky Transylvania University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers