Paul Mason (1898–1985) was an American writer, parliamentarian, historian, and assistant

Secretary of the California State Senate The Secretary of the California Senate is a nonpartisan officer of the Senate and is elected at the beginning of each two-year session. The secretary's primary role is the chief parliamentarian of the Senate (Senate Rule 9, Standing Rules of the Se ...

in the first half of the 20th century. Mason wrote the first edition of

Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure ''Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure'', commonly referred to as ''Mason's Manual'', is the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures in the United States. This 700+ page book has been "Adopted as the authority on questions ...

in 1935.

Early life

Mason was born in Idaho and was educated in schools of Idaho and Utah, interrupting education to enlist for infantry officer training, 1918. Received Bachelor's Degree, 1920. Later attended Stanford University, where he submitted a thesis on Procedure in the California Legislature, and was granted Master's Degree in Political Science, 1923. Admitted to Cal. State Bar, September, 1923, and entered private law practice for a time. Assistant Minute Clerk and File Clerk in the Senate in 1923. The Assistant Legislative Counsel, 1925 and 1927 Sessions. Chief Assistant Secretary of the Senate until 1931, when he became Parliamentarian.

Professional career

Paul Mason served for many years in California government: Chief Assistant Secretary of the California Senate (1929–32); Chief, Division of Driver's Licenses (1937–53); Director of Motor Vehicles (1954–58); and Legislative Secretary to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Governor Goodwin Knight (1954–58). Mason is known primarily for two published works: ''The Constitutional History of California'' and the ''Manual of Legislative Procedure''. According to the

National Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

(NCSL), ''Mason's Manual'' has become the most widely used legislative procedure guide in the U.S., currently in use by 77 of the 99 state legislative bodies in the United States. Before Mason's death in 1985, he assigned the copyright of his manual to the NCSL. The book is edited by an NCSL commission every few years to keep it up-to-date with the latest legal precedents. Mason's other seminal work was his ''Constitutional History of California''. In this essay, Mason examines the Spanish alcalde origins of California's legal system, through the Mexican era, up through the framing of the Constitutions of 1849 and 1879. In the California Senate, Mason served for many years under longtime Secretary of the Senate

Joseph Beek Joseph Allan Beek (December 16, 1880 – October 21, 1968) was the longest-serving Secretary of the Senate in California history (1919–68). The Secretary of the California State Senate is a nonpartisan officer of the Senate who advises the pre ...

.''The California Legislature'', by Joseph Beek, 1980 edition. California State Senate, Office of State Printing, Sacramento. p. 251.

References

External links

*Biography and interview of Paul Mason i
"The Governor's Office under Goodwin Knight : oral history transcripts / and related material, 1979–1980."
Regional Oral History Office (ROHO), the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Paul 1898 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American male writers Stanford University alumni