Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Newton Eliphalet Mason (14 October 1850 – 23 January 1945) was a United States Navy officer. His career included combat in the Spanish–American War and service during World War I, significant experience in ordnance duty, and a very long tour as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.

Early life

Mason was born in Monroeton, Pennsylvania,''American Biographical Directories: District of Columbia, 1908–1909'', Washington: The Potomac Press, 1908, p. 315.
/ref> on 14 October 1850, the son of Gordon Fowler Mason and Mary Anne Mason, and was educated at the

Susquehanna Collegiate Institute Susquehanna may refer to: Places in the United States * Susquehanna River, the source of the Chesapeake Bay In Maryland * Susquehanna State Park (Maryland) In Pennsylvania * Susquehannock tribe, Native American tribe of Pennsylvania * Susquehanna ...

in Towanda, Pennsylvania.''United States Navy Alleged Structural Defects in Battle Ships: Hearings Before the Committee on Naval Affairs, United States Senate'', Washington: Government Printing Office, 1908, p. 81.
/ref> He entered the United States Naval Academy at

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Maryland, on 24 July 1865.Hamersly, p. 170.

Naval career

Mason graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1869. His first assignment was aboard the sailing

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

for a special cruise from 1869 to 1870, and he was promoted to ensign on 12 July 1870. He underwent torpedo instruction in 1871, was promoted to master on 12 July 1871Naval History and Heritage Command: Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775–1900.
/ref> or in 1872 (sources vary), and served aboard the screw frigate in the European Squadron from 1871 to 1872. From 1873 to 1877, Mason served in the North Atlantic Squadron, first aboard the monitor in 1873, then aboard the gunboat from 1874 to 1875, the monitor from 1875 to 1876, and the screw

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

from 1876 to 1877, and he was promoted to lieutenant on 8 November 1874. He was aboard the receiving ship at League Island in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1878 to 1880 and participated in the stormy and very difficult 27 March-20 May 1880 voyage of the sailing sloop-of-war to Ireland to transport relief supplies in the wake of the 1879 famine there. He then had duty in the Asiatic Squadron from 1880 to 1884, first aboard the sidewheel gunboat from 1880 to 1883, then on the screw steamer from 1883 to 1884.Naval History and Heritage Command: Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-1900.
/ref>NSWC Indian Head Division: About Us
/ref> Returning to the United States, Mason had ordnance duty in Washington, D.C., from 1884 to 1889, first at the Washington Navy Yard from 1884 to 1885 and then at the Bureau of Ordnance from 1885 to 1889. While at the bureau, he assisted in designing the first gun turret mounts and ammunition hoists ever used in the U.S. Navy, which were installed aboard the monitor . More duty in the North Atlantic Squadron followed, first aboard the gunboat from 1889 to October 1891, then on the monitor USS ''Miantonomoh'' from October 1891 to November 1892. Mason then returned to the Bureau of Ordnance for duty from November 1892 to June 1893, followed by a tour as Inspector of Ordnance, overseeing the Naval Ordnance Proving Grounds at Indian Head, Maryland, from June 1893 to 1896. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 10 November 1896. In November 1896, Mason reported to the new armored cruiser , in time for her commissioning on 1 December 1896, and saw action aboard her off Cuba during the Spanish–American War in 1898, including the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July 1898. Leaving ''Brooklyn'' in February 1899, he was the Inspector of Ordnance at League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia from February to October 1899, then served as Inspector of Ordnance at the Naval Torpedo Station at

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, Rhode Island, beginning on 6 October 1899. He was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on 2 November 1899. Masons tour at the torpedo station ended in July 1902, and on 16 September 1902 he became

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the protected cruiser in the North Atlantic Fleet. During his tour, ''Cincinnati'' took the place of a battleship in the battleline during drills, then steamed across the Mediterranean Sea to transfer to the Asiatic Squadron, where she became part of a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

squadron. Mason left ''Cincinnati'' in April 1904 and on 1 August 1904 began a lengthy tour as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance which lasted until 31 May 1911,''Navy Ordnance Activities, World War I, 1917–1918'', p. 29.
/ref> During the tour je was promoted to

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 ...

on 30 September 1904 and to rear admiral on 12 November 1908. On 27 February 1908, he testified before the United States Senate about alleged structural defects in U.S. Navy battleships. He became a member of the General Board of the United States Navy on 25 May 1911, and remained on the board until his retirement. Mason retired from the Navy upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 on 14 October 1912.''Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps to January 1, 1913'', Washington: Government Printing Office, 1913, p. 213.
/ref> During the 1917-1918 participation of the United States in World War I, Mason was recalled to active duty to serve on the War Industries Board. While on this duty, he was the ordnance member of the Priorities Committee, which was created on 14 May 1917 and charged with deconflicting delivery priorities for the General Munitions Board of the Council of National Defense.

Personal life

Mason married the former Isadora "Dora" Edmonia Hancock (16 October 1870 – 6 January 1927) on 4 April 1894. They had at least one son, Gorden Hancock Mason (14 December 1896 – 4 December 1918), who became a Navy officer. Mason was a member of the Army and Navy Club of Washington, D.C., the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.

Death

Mason died on 23 January 1945 in Coronado, California, and is buried with his wife and son at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Gallery

File:Fourteen Retired Flag Officers.jpg, Mason is farthest right in the middle row of this photograph of retired flag officers, ca. 1923.

Notes

References

Naval History and Heritage Command: Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-1900.

Hamersly, Lewis Randolph. ''The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Seventh Edition'', New York: L. R. Hamersly Company, 1902.

''American Biographical Directories: District of Columbia, 1908–1909''. Washington: The Potomac Press, 1908.

External links

Transcript of Masons 27 February 1908 testimony before the United States Senate during hearings on alleged structural defects in battleships (at pp. 81–90).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Newton E. 1850 births 1945 deaths People from Bradford County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy rear admirals American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Navy personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery