Garrett Paul Mason (born June 19, 1985) is an American politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

. A Republican, Mason formerly served in the

Maine State Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

from the 22nd District, representing part of

Androscoggin County Androscoggin County (French: ''Comté d'Androscoggin'') is a county in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 111,139. Its county seat is Auburn and its largest city is Lewiston. Androscoggin County com ...

, including his residence in Lisbon Falls. In 2003, he graduated from

Calvary Christian Academy Calvary Christian Academy (CCA) is a private Christian school located in Cresaptown, Maryland in Allegany County. It was established as an outreach of Calvary Baptist Church of Cresaptown in 1973. Purpose Calvary Christian Academy is a school t ...

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turni ...

. In 2006, Mason graduated from Pensacola Christian College in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

with a B.A. in marketing. He also completed graduate work at Southern New Hampshire University and the

Art Institute of Pittsburgh The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was a private college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly before closing in 2019, it was purchased by Dream Center Education Holdings (in turn a division of The Dream Center, a Christian non-profit 501(c)(3) or ...

. After college, Mason worked for the AA baseball team

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox sys ...

and as director of administration for the QJMHL hockey team Lewiston Maineiacs. He also received at honorary doctorate in Humanities from Pensacola Christian College in 2018. In November 2010, Mason defeated incumbent Democrat and

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

dairy farmer John Nutting. The Maine Republican Party spent $50,000 on television and radio ads against Nutting. During his first term in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constituti ...

, Mason sponsored a bill to allow

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

in Maine. It was signed by Governor

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...

in June 2011. Mason was re-elected in 2012 by 28 votes over Democrat Colleen Quint of

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the ...

. In June 2013, upon news that incumbent Congressman Mike Michaud had taken steps towards running for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Mason was said to be "seriously considering a run" for the Republican nomination. After Republicans took control of the Maine Senate in 2014, Mason was elected Senate Majority Leader, a position he held until he termed out in 2018.

Family

Mason's mother

Gina Mason Gina Marie Mason (née Crafts; December 30, 1959 – September 5, 2017) was an American politician. Mason was born in Lewiston, Maine, the daughter of Chauncey and Carmella DeBurra Crafts. She lived in Lisbon, Maine and graduated from Lisbon ...

and their cousin Dale J. Crafts also served in the Maine Legislature. After his mother died in September 2017, his father

Rick Mason Richard G. Mason is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Mason is a Republican member of Maine House of Representatives for District 56. Early life Mason graduated from Lisbon High School. Career As a businessman, Mason is ...

won a special election to fill her vacant seat.'Late Maine lawmaker's husband will succeed her in Lisbon seat,' Bangor Daily News (Maine), Michael Shepherd, November 7, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Garrett 1985 births 21st-century American politicians Art Institute of Pittsburgh alumni Living people Republican Party Maine state senators Pensacola Christian College alumni People from Lisbon, Maine Politicians from Lewiston, Maine Southern New Hampshire University alumni