John Young Mason (April 18, 1799October 3, 1859) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, the 16th and 18th

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

, the 18th

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the ...

, United States Minister to France and a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton ...

Early life

Mason was born on April 18, 1799 in Hicksford (now Emporia) in Greensville County,

. He received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1816 from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

, attended

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...

and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under t ...

in 1819.

Career

Mason entered private practice in Greensville County from 1819 to 1821. He continued private practice in

Southampton County, Virginia Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the early 17th century ...

, from 1821 to 1831. He was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

from 1823 to 1827, and a member of the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

from 1827 to 1831. He was commonwealth's attorney for Greensville County from 1827 to 1831. He was a delegate to the Virginia constitutional conventions of 1829 and 1850. In 1847, he was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Congressional service

Mason was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat from

Virginia's 2nd congressional district Virginia's second congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It currently encompasses all of Accomack, Northampton, and York Counties; all of the independent cities of Virginia Beach and Willia ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

of the 22nd, 23rd and

24th United States Congress The 24th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1835 ...

es and served from March 4, 1831, until his resignation January 11, 1837. He was Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the 24th United States Congress. Following his departure from Congress, he resumed private practice in Hicksford from 1837 to 1841.

Federal judicial service

Mason was nominated by President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

on February 26, 1841, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Peter Vivian Daniel. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

on March 2, 1841, and received his commission on March 3, 1841. His service terminated on March 23, 1844, due to his resignation. Polkcabinet1849edited

Later career

Mason was appointed the 16th

in the Cabinet of President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

and served from March 14, 1844, to March 10, 1845, and again as the 18th Secretary in the Cabinet of President James K. Polk from September 9, 1846, to March 7, 1849. He was the 18th

from March 11, 1845, to September 9, 1846. He resumed the practice of law in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

, Virginia from 1849 to 1854. He was appointed United States Minister to France for the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

and served from January 22, 1854, until his death.

Personal life

Mason married Mary Ann Fort, the daughter of a prominent land-owner, in 1821 and became a planter himself, as well as continuing as a lawyer. He owned Fortsville located near Grizzard, Sussex County, Virginia. Mason died on October 3, 1859, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in the French Empire. His remains were conveyed to the United States and interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Honors

USS ''Mason'' (DD-191) from 1920 to 1940, and USS ''Mason'' (DDG-87) from 2003 to present, were named in honor of Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason, sharing the honor on DDG-87 with another individual of the same last name.

Electoral history

*1831; Mason was elected with 57.88% of the vote, defeating Independent Richard Eppes. *1833; Mason was re-elected unopposed.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, John Young 1799 births 1859 deaths American planters Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia United States federal judges appointed by Martin Van Buren 19th-century American judges People from Greensville County, Virginia Polk administration cabinet members Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Ambassadors of the United States to France United States Attorneys General United States Secretaries of the Navy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Virginia lawyers Democratic Party Virginia state senators Tyler administration cabinet members 19th-century American diplomats Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law