Thomson Mason

For other people called Thomson Mason, see Thomson Mason (disambiguation).
Thomson Mason
Born Thomson Mason
(1733-08-14)August 14, 1733
Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Colony of Virginia
Died February 26, 1785(1785-02-26) (aged 51)
Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Virginia
Residence Chopawamsic, Stafford County, Virginia
Raspberry Plain, Leesburg, Virginia
Nationality British, American
Ethnicity European American
Citizenship Kingdom of Great Britain
United States
Alma mater College of William and Mary
Occupation lawyer, jurist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, planter
Religion Anglican, Episcopalian
Spouse(s) Mary King Barnes
Elizabeth Westwood Wallace
Children Stevens Thomson Mason
Abram Barnes Thomson Mason
John Thomson Mason
Ann Thomson Mason Chichester
Dorothea Anna Thomson Mason Hirst
Westwood Thomson Mason
William Temple Thomson Mason
George Thomson Mason
Parent(s) George Mason III
Ann Stevens Thomson
Relatives brother of George Mason IV

Thomson Mason (14 August 1733 – 26 February 1785)[1][2] was a prominent Virginia lawyer, jurist, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.[2] Mason was a younger brother of George Mason IV, United States patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, father of Stevens Thomson Mason, a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a member of the Virginia state legislature, and a U.S. Senator from Virginia, and great-grandfather of Stevens T. Mason, first Governor of Michigan.

Early life

Mason was born at Chopawamsic plantation in Stafford County, Virginia on 14 August 1733.[1][2] He was the third and youngest child of George Mason III and his wife Ann Stevens Thomson.[1]

Career

Mason was educated at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia[3] and then studied law at the Middle Temple in London.[3][4] Afterwards, he returned to Virginia and was a burgess in the House of Burgesses representing Stafford and Loudoun counties from 1766 to 1775.[3][4] In 1778, Mason was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and served only briefly before serving as one of five judges in the General Court.[3][4] From 1779 to 1783, Mason was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and served as chairman of the Committee on Courts of Justice.[4]

Raspberry Plain

In 1760, Mason purchased Raspberry Plain plantation in Loudoun County, Virginia[5][6] In 1771, Thomson built the mansion at Raspberry Plain. Upon Thomson's death, the Raspberry Plain estate was deeded to his eldest son Stevens Thomson Mason.[5][6]

Marriages and children

Mason married Mary King Barnes, the only daughter of Colonel Abraham Barnes and his wife Mary King,[3] in 1758.[1] He and Mary had four children:[1][2]

Mary died on 21 October 1771 in Prince William County, Virginia and was interred in the Mason family graveyard at Gunston Hall and later moved to Raspberry Plain.[1] Six years later on 23 November 1777, Mason married for a second time to Elizabeth Westwood Wallace.[1] He and Elizabeth had four children:[1]

Later life

Mason died on 26 February 1785 at Chopawamsic at the age of 51.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Thomson Mason". gunstonhall.org. Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Mason family of Virginia". politicalgraveyard.com. The Political Graveyard. June 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 The Colonial Dames of America (1910). Ancestral Records and Portraits: A Compilation from the Archives of Chapter I, the Colonial Dames of America. Boston, Massachusetts: Grafton Press. p. 808.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Evisum Inc. (2000). "George Mason: Statesman". Virtual War Museum. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  5. 1 2 "Raspberry Plain: History". raspberryplain.com. Raspberry Plain. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  6. 1 2 "Hunt Country Celebrations: Reception Sites". huntcountrycelebrations.com. Hunt Country Celebrations. 2008. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.