Who are the Founding Fathers? George Mason IV

Life: December 11, 1725-October 7, 1792

Wife: Wife: Ann Eilbeck (Wed April 4, 1750, Died March 9, 1773)

Wife: Sarah Brent (Wed April 11, 1780, Died 1805)

Children:

Son: George Mason V (April 30, 1753)
Daughter: Ann Eilbeck Mason (January 13, 1755)
Son: William Mason (April 16, 1756-August 4, 1757)
Son: William Mason (October 22, 1757)
Son: Thomson Mason (March 4, 1759)
Daughter: Sarah Eilbeck Mason (December 11, 1760)
Daughter: Mary Thomson Mason (January 27, 1762)
Son: John T. Mason (April 4, 1766-March 19, 1849)
Daughter: Elizabeth Mason (April 19, 1768)
Son: Thomas Mason (May 1, 1770)
Son: Richard Mason (December 4, 1772- December 5, 1772)
Son: James Mason (December 4, 1772- December 5, 1772)

Home State: Virginia

Place of Birth: Stafford County (now Fairfax County), Virginia

Died: Gunston Hall, VA

George Mason was born in Stafford county (now part of Fairfax county), Virginia, on December 11, 1725. Mason’s family was of British Royal descent and emigrated to America after King Charles I was executed in 1649. His colonial ancestors held official positions in public and military service of Virginia which lead to large estates and being in the upper class. This would end up giving Mason a great deal of influence among Virginians. Mason was a near neighbor and a lifelong friend of George Washington, though in later years they disagreed in politics.

George Mason’s Father George Mason III, died in a drowning accident when the young George was only 10 years old. His care was left to his Uncle John Mercer, and during this period George Mason started to develop his political thoughts and jurists ideology. His Uncle had 1500 Volume Library, with roughly one-third pertaining to Law.

After studying at a private academy in Maryland with tutors, in 1746 George took over the family inheritance of about 20,000 (31.25 sq/mi) in several counties in Virginia and Marlyand. As owner of Gunston Hall he established himself as an important community figure, where he was among the wealthiest planters in all Virginia. He helped in the founding of Alexandria on the Potomac River in 1749 and was identified with Ohio Company a western land speculation organization.

In 1750 at the age of 25, George married 16 year old Anne Eilbeck. The couple would eventually have nine children (five sons, four daughters), three who would die early in life including his last two sons, twins just a day after birth. In 1752 George acquired an interest in the Ohio Company.

During his time with the Ohio company, George Mason began to pursue Political interests. We would serve as a justice of the Fairfax County Court, and a Trustee of Alexandria, the city he helped found from 1754-1779. He was also elected to the Virginia House of Burgess (pre-cursor to the House of Delegates) in 1759-1760. In 1765 with the Stamp Act anger spread through the American Colonies, and George Mason wrote an open letter explaining the Colonist’s position to a committee of London merchants to attempt to gain their support.

In 1773 tragedy struck George Mason, his wife of 23 years Anne died at the age of 39. George relied on his oldest daughter Ann to assist in running his plantations. Also in 1773 the King revoked the Ohio Company’s rights, this prompted Mason as the company’s treasurer to write his first major paper, “Extracts from the Virginia Charters, with some remarks on them”.

In 1774 George again found himself involved in the Politics of the day, assisting in writing the Fairfax Resolves outlining the Colonists’ Constitutional grounds for opposing and objecting to the Boston Port Act (Part of the Intolerable Acts, closed Boston Harbor to all trade in response to the Boston Tea Party), and stating what rights they felt were being violated as British Subjects.

After the outbreak of hostilities of the American Revolution in 1775, a Declaration of Independence was all but certain by spring 1776. This would require each new “State” to establish a government independent of the British Crown. In 1776 George Mason helped write the Virginia Constitution and Declaration of Rights. Influenced by John Locke, among others, George asserted, “That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights….among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” This document was the first in America to call for freedom of the press, tolerance of religion, proscription of unreasonable searches, and the right to a fair and speedy trial. This declaration would have profound influence on fellow Virginians Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, and also influences can be seen in the Articles of Confederation, Constitution and Bill of Rights.

George Mason remained active in politics from 1776-1780, during which time he helped disestablish State established Episcopal Church and ensure the protecting all forms of worship. In 1780 he outlined the plan which was subsequently adopted by Virginia for ceding to the Federal government her claim to the "back lands," which would eventually be part of the Northwest Territories in 1787. From 1776 to 1788 he represented Fairfax County in the Virginia Assembly, and he was also a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1776-1780. By the early 1780’s Mason became discouraged and frustrated with Politics and how public affairs were conducted, and quite politics. After entering retirement he married his second wife, Sarah Brent in 1780. But George Mason’s influence would still be seen in the world of Politics, as the influence of his writing from 1773, “Extracts from the Virginia Charters, with some remarks on them”, would be seen in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution.

In 1784 George Mason along with fellow Virginian James Madison were approached by George Washington to help resolve ensuring trade to the western lands using the Potomac River. An agreement was struck with Maryland in 1785 with the Mount Vernon Compact, but issues with its application under the Articles of Confederation lead to the Annapolis Convention in 1786. Mason was selected as a delegate for the Annapolis Convention, but did not attend. A recommendation of the Annapolis Convention was set another Convention in May 1787 in Philadelphia. George Mason would return to politics, and was again elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for 1787-1788; also in 1787 he was selected as a Delegated to Philadelphia Convention in May of 1787, which would become the Constitution Convention.

George Mason’s influence in the convention is readily seen, in the strong influence the Virginia Constitution had on the Convention. George Mason was one of the most frequent speakers in the Convention, and helped shape many aspects of the Constitution. He was also one of the more outspoken opponents in the total abolishing of slavery in the Constitution, out of concern it would not be ratified by doing so (feeling no southern state would ratify such a provision and killing any chance of saving the Union) and it would cripple Virginia’s and other states economies if it were to be. He did however favor a gradual abolition. Eventually as the Convention drew to its close, he became dissatisfied with the amount of power granted to the National Government and a lack of a Declaration of Rights, it would lead to Monarchy or a corrupt and oppressive aristocracy, and he decided not sign the final draft.

After the Convention was complete, he joined fellow Virginian Patrick Henry in opposing ratification in the Virginia Convention in 1788. Unable to convince the Convention to not ratify the Constitution, he was able to persuade them to propose several amendments to the Constitution many of which would eventually be found in the Bill of Rights. He declined an appointment as Senator from Virginia and retired from politics. But his suggestion of a Bill of Rights was carried on by James Madison in the First Congress, and many of his proposals in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and proposed Amendments from the Virginia Constitution Convention would become part of the Bill of Rights, and eventually the 11^th Amendment, which helped addressed his concern for strictness on the judiciary.

He retired to his home in Gunston Hall, Virginia (built by him about 1758 and named after the family home in Staffordshire, England), where he dies on October 7, 1792. He was laid to rest on the grounds of Gunston Hall.