Richard Chichester Mason facts for kids

Richard Chichester Mason (May 7, 1793 – July 22, 1869) was an American doctor, farmer, and politician. He lived in Fairfax County, Virginia. He was chosen twice to represent his county in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Mason also worked as a doctor in Alexandria, Virginia. During the American Civil War, he moved to Richmond. He worked for the Confederate States Army there.

Early Life and Education

Richard Chichester Mason was likely born on May 7, 1793. His family lived at a farm called Newington plantation in Fairfax County. His parents were Thomson Mason and Sarah McCarty Chichester.

His family was one of the First Families of Virginia. His father, Thomson Mason, built a house called Hollin Hall. Richard had four brothers and four sisters who grew up. His father also served in the Virginia government.

Richard's grandfather was George Mason. George Mason was a very important person during the American Revolutionary War. He helped write the Virginia Declaration of Rights. He also spoke against slavery.

Richard received a good private education. Then, he went to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He became a doctor in 1816.

Richard Mason's Career

Richard's father, Thomson Mason, inherited land from his own father, George Mason. This land was part of the Gunston Hall estate. The family used enslaved people to work on their farms.

Around 1817, Richard's father divided his land. Richard received a farm called Dogue Run. His brother, Thomson Francis Mason, received Hunting Creek farm.

After becoming a doctor, Richard C. Mason opened his medical office in Alexandria. His office was on King Street. He also owned property in a part of Alexandria called Round Hill.

Serving in Government

In the 1820s, people in Fairfax County elected Dr. Mason to the Virginia House of Delegates. This was a part-time job. He served two terms, but he was not re-elected a third time.

While working as a doctor, Mason also served as a justice of the peace in Fairfax County. This meant he helped with local legal matters. His brother, Thomson F. Mason, was even the mayor of Alexandria from 1828 to 1830.

In 1824, Hollin Hall, the family home, burned down. In the 1830s, Richard C. Mason started building a new main house. He called this new home Okeley Manor. He moved there by 1834.

Life as a Planter

When Richard C. Mason stopped practicing medicine, he lived at Okeley Manor. He managed his farm using enslaved labor. In 1850, government records show he owned 17 enslaved people. Ten years later, he owned ten enslaved people.

During the Civil War

When Virginia left the United States at the start of the American Civil War, Union soldiers took over Alexandria. They used Mason's house because it was close to an important railroad.

Dr. Mason moved his family to Richmond. Some records say he worked as a writer for a general. Other records show he joined the Confederate States Army in 1861 as a medic. His sons, Beverley Randolph Mason and William Pinckney Mason, also served as Confederate officers.

After the war, Richard C. Mason, then 72, returned home. His mansion at Okeley had been used as a hospital. It had also burned down. In 1865, he promised loyalty to the United States. President Andrew Johnson then pardoned him for his actions during the war.

Death and Family Legacy

Richard C. Mason died on July 22, 1869, at the age of 76. He passed away at a place called "Rutledge" in Fauquier County, Virginia.

By 1880, Mason's son, Beverley Mason, had gotten the Dogue Run property back. He built a new house there. Today, this land is a park and nature preserve called Huntley Meadows Park.

Marriage and Children

Richard Mason married Lucy Bolling Randolph on May 14, 1816. Lucy was also from a well-known Virginia family. They were married at "Eastern View" farm in Fauquier County. Richard and Lucy had sixteen children together, including:

• Robert Thomson Mason (1818–1890)
• William Fitzhugh Mason (1821–1822)
• Randolph Fitzhugh Mason (1823–1862)
• Lucius Meade Mason (1824–1845)
• Eliza Carter Mason (1824–1832)
• Baynton Turner Mason (1826–1857)
• Richard Randolph Mason (1827–1886)
• Lucy Bolling Mason (1831–1832)
• Eliza Lucy Mason (1832–1862)
• Beverley Randolph Mason (1834–1910)
• Eva Mary Anna Mason Heth (1836–1915)
• John Stevens Mason (1839–1918)
• Landon Randolph Mason (1841–1923)
• William Pinckney Mason (1843–1923)

Richard Chichester Mason was the grandson of George Mason (1725–1792). He was part of a large and important family in Virginia history.