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

Secretary of the California State Senate A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evaluat ...

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'', referred to as ''Mason's Manual'', is the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures in the United States. The Manual covers motions, procedures, vote requirements, the rules of or ...

in 1935.

Early life

Mason was born in Idaho and was educated in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. His education was interrupted in 1918 by enlisting in infantry officer training. After the war, Mason received a bachelor's degree in 1920 and later attended

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he submitted a thesis on Procedure in the California Legislature, and was granted Master's Degree in Political Science in 1923. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in September of 1923, and entered private law practice for a time. Mason served as assistant Minute Clerk and File Clerk in the Senate in 1923 and as the Assistant Legislative Counsel in the 1925 and 1927 Sessions. Mason later served as 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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Governor

Goodwin Knight Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician and judge who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 to 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 35th lieutenant ...

(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