John Thomson Mason (1787–1850)
John Thomson Mason (* January 8, 1787 at Raspberry Plains, Loudoun County, Virginia; † May 3, 1850 in Galveston, Galveston County, Texas) was an early Realtor and revolutionary in Texas.
Career
Mason moved in 1812 to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was in 1817, U.S. President James Monroe appointed U.S. Marshal. Thirteen years later appointed him U.S. President Andrew Jackson to the Secretary of the Territory of Michigan and for the inspector in Indian affairs, a position from which he resigned in 1831 to become a confidential agent of the Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company. The Company was created to come to the hands of the industrialist Lorenzo de Zavala, David G. Burnet and Joseph Vehlein, which included estimated twenty million tomorrow. Mason, who was commissioned by the Company in Mexico City, found that a law of April 6 1830 prevented the transfer of land to foreign companies. On his second trip to Mexico in 1833, he helped to reverse the law section, which forbade the United States to settle the land. He then resigned from his position to further his individual lands.
Mason acquired by the Government 300 Leagues land that was originally intended for the army, and an additional 100 Leagues of individuals. He also employed John Charles Leplicher in New York City as its employees in the land registry and Archibald Hotchkiss as his deputy. With the lifting of the large subsidies by the revolutionary government of Texas Masons country business was almost destroyed. Leplicher filed on February 16, 1835 against Mason in Nacogdoches, Texas, an action for payment of his salary yet due one. From then until the end of the Revolution in Texas Mason lingered usually Nacogdoches. The Committee of Vigilance and Safety made him on April 11, 1836 as the commander of the Nacogdoches District, a position from which he resigned twelve days later. He paid $ 1,000 for the ship Liberty, which was intended for the Texas Navy and brought another 500 dollars on expenses for the Brutus. Some time after the revolution took Mason to New York, but he returned during the 1840s back several times to Texas. His last trip to Texas he made in 1849. However, to the beginning of his return journey he passed away in 1850 at the Tremont House in Galveston from cholera or malaria.
Family
Mason was the second son of U.S. Senator Stevens Thomson Mason (1760-1803) and Mary Elizabeth ( Armistead ) Mason ( 1760-1825 ), grandson of Thomson Mason, nephew of John Thomson Mason ( 1765-1824 ) and great-nephew of George Mason. He was also a first cousin of John Thomson Mason, Jr. and second cousin of Thomson Francis Mason and James Murray Mason. He was married twice. His first marriage he went in with a certain Elizabeth Baker Moir ( 1789-1839 ). After her death he then married on June 29, 1845 certain Frances ( Magruder ) Romyn. He was the brother of Catherine Armistead Mason (* 1795), who was married to William Taylor Barry, Armistead Thomson Mason and Mary Thomson Mason ( 1791-1813 ), who was married to Benjamin Howard. He was also the father of Stevens Thomson Mason (1811-1843), the first governor of Michigan.