James W. Mason

James W. Mason (1841–1875) was an American politician and the first African American postmaster in the United States.[1]

James W. Mason
Born1841
Chicot County, Arkansas
Died1875
OccupationPolitician
Parent(s)Elisha Worthington

Early life

James W. Mason was born in 1841 in Chicot County, Arkansas.[2] His father, Elisha Worthington, was a Kentucky-born large landowner and the owner of the Sunnyside Plantation in Chicot County.[2] His mother was an African slave owned by his father.[2] As a result, he was a mulatto. He had a sister, Martha.[2] He studied at Oberlin College in Ohio.[2] He also studied in France.[2]

Career

Mason was appointed as the postmaster of Sunnyside in 1867.[2][3] As a result, he was the first African-American postmaster in all of the United States.[2][3]

He served as a member of the Arkansas Senate from 1868 to 1869.[2]

He was appointed as Consul General to Liberia on March 29, 1870.[4] However, he failed to fill the position.[2]

He served in the Arkansas Senate a second time, from 1871 to 1872.[2] He then served as the Sheriff of Chicot County from 1872 to 1874.[2] In the summer of 1873, he was arrested under the suspicion of inciting a race war in the county.[2] However, the judge, Colonel John A. Williams, dismissed the trial.[2]

Personal life

He married Rachel, who was also of mixed race.[2] They had a daughter, Fannie. Mason died in 1875.[2]

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References
  1. "African American Postal Workers in the 19th Century" (PDF). About: Postal People. United States Postal Service. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  2. James W. Mason (1841–1875), The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
  3. Deanna Boyd, Kendra Chen, The History and Experience of African Americans in America’s Postal Service, National Postal Museum
  4. U.S. Department of State: Office of the Historian
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