Stevens Thomson Mason was born on October 27, 1811, and died on January 4, 1843. He was an American politician who became the first governor of Michigan, serving from 1835 to 1840. At a young age, Mason gained political importance. When he was 19, Andrew Jackson appointed him as the acting territorial secretary of his territory. Soon after, in 1834 at age 22, he became the acting territorial governor. In this role, Mason helped lead Michigan to statehood, which was achieved in 1837. A member of the Democratic Party, Mason was elected as Michigan's first state governor in 1835. He held this position until 1840. He was elected governor at age 23 and took office at age 24. Mason was and still is the youngest person to serve as a state governor in American history.

Early life in Virginia and Kentucky

Mason was born near Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia, into a family with a lot of influence in politics. His great-grandfather, Thomson Mason (1733–1785), was the chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court and the younger brother of George Mason (1725–1792), who participated in the Constitutional Convention. His grandfather, Stevens Thomson Mason (1760–1803), served as a U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1794 until his death. His uncle, Armistead Thomson Mason (1787–1819), also served as a U.S. Senator from Virginia. Additionally, his uncles by marriage, Benjamin Howard (1760–1814) and William Taylor Barry (1784–1835), both worked in the Kentucky House of Representatives and were U.S. Representatives from Kentucky. Howard also served as the Governor of the Louisiana (Missouri) Territory from 1810 to 1812 and the Missouri Territory from 1812 to 1813. Barry later served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1814 to 1816 and held many government positions in Kentucky before becoming the U.S. Postmaster General from 1829 to 1835.

In 1812, Mason’s father, John Thomson Mason (1787–1850), left the family’s main home in Virginia to try to build his own wealth in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1817, President James Monroe appointed the older Mason as the United States marshal. Although his business efforts did not succeed and the family faced financial difficulties in the 1820s, he was a lawyer and land agent from an influential family. He later became an important figure in the Texas Revolution.

Life and politics in Michigan Territory

John Mason was named secretary of the Michigan Territory and superintendent of Indian affairs in 1830 by President Andrew Jackson. His son, Young Stevens, was more skilled in politics than his father and helped protect him from plans by people who opposed Jackson. This made Young Stevens gain the attention of the territorial governor, Lewis Cass. In 1831, President Jackson sent the older Mason on a mission to Mexico and chose Young Stevens to replace his father as secretary at the age of 19, even before he could vote. Around the same time, Governor Cass became Jackson’s Secretary of War. Because the territorial secretary usually acted as governor, Young Mason took on that role until George Bryan Porter, who was chosen to replace Cass in August 1831, arrived in Detroit in 1832. Porter was often away, so Young Mason acted as governor most of the time, earning the nickname “Boy Governor.” Porter died from cholera in Detroit in 1834, and Young Mason again served as acting governor of the Michigan Territory.

Young Mason worked to support Michigan’s request to become a state. When the first petition in 1832 was not considered by the U.S. Congress, he organized a census of the territory. The census, completed in 1834, showed that 85,856 people lived in the lower peninsula, more than the 60,000 needed for statehood under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. A disagreement over a piece of land called the Toledo Strip, claimed by both Michigan and Ohio, led to the Toledo War. President Jackson chose Benjamin Chew Howard of Baltimore and Richard Rush of Philadelphia to settle the dispute, but Young Mason disagreed with their plan and refused to give in. To avoid angering political allies in Ohio, President Jackson removed Young Mason from his position as territorial secretary in August 1835 and replaced him with John S. (“Little Jack”) Horner.

First governor of the state of Michigan

Even though Horner took over, many people in Michigan still supported Mason. Voters approved a constitution on October 5, 1835, and they elected Mason as governor. However, the U.S. Congress did not recognize Michigan as a state until the disagreement with Ohio was resolved.

In 1836, because Michigan was not recognized as a state, Mason agreed to a compromise made by the U.S. Congress. He gave up the disputed land to Ohio in exchange for the western two-thirds of the Upper Peninsula; Michigan already included the eastern third. A meeting in September 1836 did not support Mason’s plan, but he won approval in a second meeting in December 1836. On January 26, 1837, Michigan became a state.

In 1835, Mason started a major plan to improve the state’s infrastructure, which included building three railroads and two canals (one was the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal). Mason was re-elected in 1837, but the state’s economy suffered because of the Panic of 1837. Earlier in 1837, Mason arranged to fund the improvements by selling $5,000,000 in bonds (equivalent to $144 million in 2024). This plan failed in 1837, and after the company building the canal and the bank supporting the loans went bankrupt, the state had over $2,000,000 in bad debt (equivalent to $57.4 million in 2024). During trips to New York to raise money for the improvements, Mason met Julia Phelps, and they married on November 1, 1838.

In early 1838, Mason led the state militia to stop the Patriot War, an effort by some groups to invade and take parts of Canada. The schooner Ann was captured by the Patriots on January 8 and sailed to Gibraltar, Michigan. Mason, along with 200 militiamen, chased them in two steamships. A hundred Canadian soldiers also joined in the Alliance. Mason met with the Patriot leaders at Gibraltar, but the Ann continued toward Fort Malden in Canada. On January 9, the Patriots attacked Fort Malden and the town of Amherstburg from the Ann. Canadian soldiers took positions in the town while the Patriots moved 300 people to Bois Blanc Island across the river. The Canadian soldiers fired on the Ann when it tried to reach the island, damaging the ship and killing some of its crew. The Ann ran aground, and Canadian soldiers captured the crew without resistance. The remaining Patriots returned to the American side of the river. Some Patriots were injured or killed, and the Canadians captured 300 muskets, 2 cannons, 10 kegs of gunpowder, and other supplies. The actions of the "Patriots" were considered a violation of the Neutrality Act by the U.S.

Instead of facing a difficult election in 1839, Mason chose to leave politics and try to become a private lawyer. His successor as governor, William Woodbridge, an old political rival, blamed Mason for Michigan’s financial problems and accused him of corruption related to the $5,000,000 loan. Mason tried to defend himself, but his reputation was ruined.

Retirement and death in New York

In 1841, Mason moved from Michigan to New York City, where his wealthy father-in-law, Thaddeus Phelps, lived. Mason tried to start a law practice there but had trouble finding clients. He caught pneumonia in the winter of 1842 and died on January 4, 1843, at the age of 31. Some records list his death date as January 5.

Mason was first buried at New York Marble Cemetery. On June 4, 1905, his remains were moved to Detroit by his sister Emily Mason, who was 92 years old at the time, his daughter Dorothy Mason Wright, three grandsons, and several grand-nephews and great-grandchildren. A religious service was led by Rev. David M. Cooper, who had known Mason as governor 70 years earlier. Other attendees included then-Governor Fred M. Warner and the mayor of Detroit, George P. Codd. His remains were buried at Capitol Park, the site of the old Michigan Capitol. Later, a bronze statue of Mason, created by sculptor Albert Weinert, was placed on a granite pedestal above his grave. The statue showed a young Mason standing confidently.

On September 3, 2009, officials announced plans to change the park’s layout and move the monument. When workers began digging, they found no grave. After four days of searching, the vault containing Mason’s remains was discovered on June 29, 2010, a few yards south of its original location. It was believed the grave had been moved in 1955 to make space for a bus terminal.

On October 27, 2010, the 199th anniversary of Mason’s birth, his remains were reburied for the fourth time in a new vault beneath the bronze statue. Mason’s great-great-great grandnephew, who lives in Grosse Ile, Michigan, attended the ceremony. The current dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, where Mason’s funeral took place in 1843, led the service. Before the reburial, Mason’s remains were displayed in the Capitol Building in Lansing. He was only the fourth Michigan governor to lie in state there.

Among his other achievements, Mason helped create an educational system and moved the University of Michigan to Ann Arbor.

Marriage and children

Mason married Julia Elizabeth Phelps in New York City on November 1, 1838. The couple had three children:

• Stevens Thomson Mason Jr. (August 1, 1839 – January 27, 1843)
• Dorothea Eliza Mason Wright (October 29, 1840 – October 4, 1916), known as Dora, was married to Colonel Edward H. Wright (1824–1913), who served as an officer in the United States Army. Dora and Edward Wright had a son, William M. Wright, who became a U.S. Army officer and reached the rank of lieutenant general.
• Thaddeus Phelps Mason (March 11, 1842 – April 1847)

Places named in Mason's honor

• Mason, Michigan is the main city of Ingham County, where the state capital, Lansing, is located.
• Mason County, Michigan.
• Lawrence, Michigan was originally called Mason from 1835 to 1843.
• Mason Hall at Michigan State University.
• Mason Hall at the University of Michigan.
• Stevens T. Mason State Office Building in Lansing, Michigan.
• Mason Senior High School in Erie Township, Michigan.
• Stevens T. Mason Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.
• Stevens T. Mason Middle School in Waterford Township, Michigan.
• Mason Elementary School in Detroit, Michigan.
• Mason Street in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• Mason Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Mason Street in Saginaw, Michigan.