George C. Mason letters (RLC.Ms.544)

Biographical note

George Champlin Mason (1820-1894) was born into a prominent family in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 17, 1820. Following his education in Newport, Mason worked at a dry goods establishment in New York City from 1835 to 1841, leaving on account of ill health. From 1844 through 1846, Mason studied art in Paris, Rome, and Florence, and upon his return to the United States he dedicated himself to landscape painting of architectural subjects in Newport. On August 10, 1848, Mason married Frances Elizabeth Dean and in August 1849, they had their son, George C. Mason, Jr. (1849-1924). After 1858, Mason began to study architecture and established a successful architectural firm in Newport. In 1871, his took his son into partnership and renamed his firm, George C. Mason and Son, which remained in operation until his death in 1894. During Mason’s architectural career, one hundred fifty houses were erected by his firm in Newport, but he also worked throughout the Northeast.

Throughout his career, Mason also found the time to author books and newspaper articles. In 1851, he became the editor and part proprietor of the Newport Mercury and in 1854, he began to write letters on general subjects for the Providence Daily Journal and continued to do so until his death. Mason was also a correspondent for the New York Evening Post starting in 1876. Mason wrote and published a number of historical and art works, mostly regarding Newport and its architecture and landscapes. In addition, Mason was influential in the establishment of the Newport Historical Society and the Newport Hospital. He was also involved with the Redwood Library, the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Rhode Island State Society of Cincinnati, and the Newport Sanitary Protection Association. George C. Mason died on January 30, 1894, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was buried in the Island Cemetery of Newport.