| Armistead Mason | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Virginia | |
| In office January 3, 1816 – March 4, 1817 | |
| Preceded by | William Giles |
| Succeeded by | John Eppes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Armistead Thomson Mason (1787-08-04)August 4, 1787 Armisteads, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1819(1819-02-06) (aged 31) Bladensburg, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Charlotte Taylor |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Stevens Mason (father) |
| Education | College of William and Mary (BA) |
Armistead Thomson Mason (August 4, 1787 – February 6, 1819) was a U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1816 to 1817. Mason was also the second-youngest person to ever serve in the US Senate, at the age of 28 and 5 months, even though the age requirement for the US Senate in the constitution is 30 years old. He was the son of Stevens Thomson Mason.
Early life and education
He was born at Armisteads in Louisa County, Virginia, graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1807 and engaged in agricultural pursuits until he became colonel of Virginia Volunteers in the War of 1812 and subsequently brigadier general of Virginia Militia.
Political career
He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William Branch Giles, despite being constitutionally underage for the office. Mason served from January 3, 1816, to March 4, 1817. He then moved to Loudoun County, Virginia where he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Fifteenth Congress (1817). It was a bitter campaign that gave rise to several duels: Mason himself was later killed in a duel with his second cousin, John Mason McCarty, at Bladensburg Duelling Field, Maryland, as a result of this campaign. He is buried in the churchyard of the Episcopal Church at Leesburg, Virginia.
Marriage and children
Mason married on 1 May 1817 to Charlotte Eliza Taylor (died 1846) at Dr. Charles Cocke's in Albemarle County, Virginia. The couple had one son:
- Stevens Thomson Mason (1819–14 June 1847)
Relations
Armistead Thomson Mason was the grandnephew of George Mason (1725–1792); grandson of Thomson Mason (1733–1785); son of Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Armistead Mason (1760–1825) and Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803); nephew of John Thomson Mason (1765–1824); second cousin of Thomson Francis Mason (1785–1838) and James Murray Mason (1798–1871); brother-in-law of William Taylor Barry (1784–1835); brother of John Thomson Mason (1787–1850); uncle of Stevens Thomson Mason (1811–1843); and first cousin of John Thomson Mason, Jr. (1815–1873).
Ancestry
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References
- United States Congress. "Armistead Thomson Mason (id: M000213)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Armistead Thomson Mason". Gunston Hall. Archived from the original on 2015-12-20. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ "Mason family of Virginia". The Political Graveyard. June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- "Youngest Senator". United States Senate.
External links
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byWilliam Giles | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Virginia 1816–1817 Served alongside: James Barbour |
Succeeded byJohn Eppes |
| New office | Chair of the Senate District of Columbia Committee 1816–1817 |
Succeeded byRobert Henry Goldsborough |
| United States senators from Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 |  | |
| Class 2 | ||
| The Mason family | |
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| First generation | |
| Second generation | |
| Third generation | |
| Fourth generation | |
| Fifth generation | |
| Sixth generation | |
| Seventh generation | |
| Eighth generation | |
- 1787 births
- 1819 deaths
- People from Louisa County, Virginia
- Mason family
- Episcopalians from Virginia
- Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Virginia
- 19th-century American planters
- United States senators who owned slaves
- 18th-century American Episcopalians
- 19th-century American Episcopalians
- People from Loudoun County, Virginia
- College of William & Mary alumni
- American militiamen in the War of 1812
- People from Virginia in the War of 1812
- American politicians killed in duels
- Deaths by firearm in Maryland
- 19th-century United States senators
- American duellists