William Pinckney Mason (10 January 1843 – 16 December 1922) was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

, ultimately serving as commander of several ironclad gunboats. Mason was a great-grandson of

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights, and his wife Ann Eilbeck.

Early life and education

Mason was born on 10 January 1843, in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

and was the youngest child of a large family born to Dr. Richard Chichester Mason and his wife Lucy Bolling Randolph.

American Civil War

Mason resigned from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as an acting midshipman on 19 April 1861. Mason enlisted in the

where he became an acting midshipman on 11 June 1861 and served on the CSS ''United States''. On 7 January 1864, Mason was promoted to master in line of promotion and was made 2nd Lieutenant on 2 June 1864. Mason later served as commander of the CSS ''Beaufort'' and CSS ''Virginia II''.

Marriage and children

Mason married Elizabeth Ruthven McGill on 29 January 1873 and they had three children: *Wardlaw McGill Mason (1876–1936) *Lucius Randolph Mason (28 January 1886–23 November 1984) *Shirley Carter Mason Prescott (12 October 1891–21 March 1972)

Later life

After a brief illness, Mason died on 16 December 1922 at his residence in Rockville,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

at the age of 80. He was buried after 16 December 1923 at Rockville Cemetery in Rockville.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, William Pinckney 1843 births 1922 deaths American Episcopalians American people of English descent American planters Confederate States Navy officers Maryland Democrats Mason family Military personnel from Alexandria, Virginia People from Rockville, Maryland People of Virginia in the American Civil War United States Navy officers Virginia Democratic-Republicans Virginia Democrats Burials in Maryland