4.17 Linear Feet, 4 ft. 2 in. (9 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 5 in. )
Creator
Mason, John W., 1842-1917
Location
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown,
WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Language
English
Abstract
Letters and pamphlets of judge John W. Mason (1842-1917) chiefly concerning the Virginia Debt question. Mason was a circuit
court and state Supreme Court judge, member of the Virginia State Debt Commission, and commissioner of Internal Revenue. There
are also records of cases heard by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals while John W. Mason was a member of that body.
For contents list, please see Scope and Content Note. For list of pamphlets, please see control folder.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], John W. Mason (1842-1917) Papers regarding Virginia Debt and Other Material,
A&M 0037, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
John W. Mason (1842-1917) was a prominent lawyer and Republican party member in the northern part of West Virginia from the
early 1870s until his death. He had been a soldier in the Union army and after the war attended Monongalia Academy. He read
law under Judge Marshall Hagans of Morgantown and was admitted to the bar in 1867. He practiced law in Grafton from 1867 to
1889. During this time he was made Chairman of the Republican State Executive Committee and served four years until 1876.
He ran for the House of Representatives in 1882 and was defeated by William L. Wilson by ten votes. He tried for Judge of
the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia six years after but lost. The highlight of his life was his appointment as Commissioner
of the Internal Revenue Service by President Benjamin Harrison. At the end of his term of office, he returned to West Virginia
and moved to Fairmont. He continued to practice law until he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court of Monongalia, Harrison,
and Marion Counties in 1900. After he left Washington, he repeatedly attempted to secure another appointment in Washington
but was unsuccessful. He retired from the bench in 1912 and was appointed Chairman of the West Virginia Debt Commission the
following year. He served until the fall of 1915 when he was appointed to a vacant seat in the Supreme Court of Appeals of
West Virginia. He stepped down in January of 1917 and died later that spring.
Letters and pamphlets of judge John W. Mason (1842-1917) chiefly concerning the Virginia Debt question. Mason was a circuit
court and state Supreme Court judge, member of the Virginia State Debt Commission, and commissioner of Internal Revenue. There
are also records of cases heard by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals while John W. Mason was a member of that body.
For list of pamphlets, please see control folder.
Miscellaneous Cases in Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (53 pamphlets)
1916
Mixed Materials Box: 3
U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Virginia Debt (30 pamphlets)
1913-1914
Mixed Materials Box: 4
U.S. Supreme Court Records, Virginia Debt (56 pamphlets)
1913-1915
Mixed Materials Box: 5
U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Virginia Debt (21 pamphlets)
1913
Mixed Materials Box: 6
Pamphlets regarding Virginia Debt (33 pamphlets)
1872, 1892, 1913-1915
Mixed Materials Box: 7
Miscellaneous Pamphlets regarding Virginia Debt (47 pamphlets)
1913
Mixed Materials Box: 8
Virginia Debt (13 pamphlets)
1907-1913
Mixed Materials Box: 9
Miscellaneous Cases in Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (33 pamphlets)
1910-1916
Exhibits Filed Before Hon. Charles E. Littlefield; Special Master. Covering Period to January 1, 1861. In the Supreme Court
of the United States Original No. 2. Commonwealth of Virginia vs. State of West Virginia. 1914. Richmond, Virginia.