Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/313

 MASON

MASON

MASON, Theodore Lewis, physician and surgeon, was born in Cooperstown, N.Y., Sept. 30, 1803 ; son of David and Mary Elizabeth (Lewis) Mason ; grandson of the Rev. Dr. Isaac Lewis, and a descendant of Maj. John Mason, the foun- der of Norwich, Conn. After receiving a classi- cal education he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York city, registering his name in the office of Dr. David Hosack. His degree of M.D. was conferred in 1825. He prac- tised in Wilton, Conn., for a few years, and returned to New York city, where he married, in 1833, Katharine Van Vliet, daughter of Peter De Witt, lawyer, and removed in 1834 to Brooklyn, N.Y., in which city he was a practitioner, 1834- 82. He was president of the Kings County Med- ical society, 1842-43 ; a founder of Brooklyn city hospital, 1845 ; the Long Island College hospital, 1861, and president of the collegiate department, 1861-82 ; a member of the Citizens' association of New York to further the passage of the Metro- politan health bill in 1864 ; an incorporator and first president of the Inebriates' home of Kings county, 1866 ; a founder of the American Associ- ation for the Cure of Inebriates, 1870, and presi- dent of the association for several years from 1875. He was also a permanent member of the Medical Society of the State of New York ; resi- dent fellow of the New York Academy of Medi- cine ; delegate to the international medical con- vention, Philadelphia, 1876, and founder, life member and director of the Long Island Histor- ical society. He was a member of the Reformed Dutch church. His address, Inebriety a Dis- ease, was quoted as authority in the British house of commons in arguments supporting a bill for the establishment of inebriate homes. He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Feb. 12, 1882.

MASON, William, musician and composer, was born in Boston, Mass., Jan. 24, 1829 ; sort of Dr. Lowell (q.v.) and Abigail (Gregory) Mason. He began the study of the pianoforte under Henry Schmidt of Boston, Mass., in early child- hood. He made his first public appearance as a pianist at a symphony concert in Boston in 1846 at the age of seventeen, and during the next tliree years he api)eared frequently in concerts including those given by the Harvard Musical association. He studied the pianoforte at Leipzig in 1849 under Moscheles, harmony under Moritz Hauptmann and instrumentation under E. F. Richter. Later he studied the pianoforte under Alexander Dreyschock in Prague and in 1853-54 at Weimar, under Liszt in company with Rubin- stein, Von Bulow and Pruckner. He played in public in Prague, Frankfort and Weimar, and in London in 1853, returning to the United States in 1854. He gave a series of piano recitals in the principal American cities, and in 1855 established

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in New York city, in connection with Carl Berg- mann,Theodore Thomas, J. Mosenthal and George Matzka, a series of classical soirees which con- tinued until 1868 and in which he was the first to introduce the Liszt Hungarian rhapsodies to American audiences. These soirees became widely known as the " Mason and Thomas soirees of chamber music." Dr. Mason then settled in New York city, where he devoted himself to teaching and made only occasional pub- lic appearances. Many of his pupils at- tained eminence as pianists. He re- ceived the honorary degree of Mus.D.

from Yale in 1872. He resided at Orange, N.J., 1858-90, and in New York city from 1890. He was married, March 12, 1857, to Mary I., daughter of George James Webb of Boston. His compositions include : Deux Romances sans Paroles (1845); Imjyromptu (1851): Silver Spring (1856); Ballade in B Major {1S6S); Deux Humo- resques de Bal (1866); Reverie Poefique (1868); Prelude in A Minor {1S70); Romance Etude (1871); Three Characteristic Sketches (1876); Toccata (1882) ; Serenata, for pianoforte and violoncello (1882), and Mirmet (1882). He is the author of : Teacher and Pupil : Eight Duos for Four Hands (1869); Didactic Works: A Method for the Piano- forte, with E. S. Hoadley (1867); System for Beginners in the Art of Playing upon the Piano- forte, with E. S. Hoadley (1871) ; Mason's Piano- forte Technics, with William S. B. Matthews (1878); Touxih and Technic (IS90) ; Improvisation for Pianoforte (1900), and Memories of aMuMcal Life (1901).

MASON, William Ernest, senator, was born in Franklinville, N.Y., July 7, 1850; son of Lewis J. and Nancy ( Winslow) Mason. He removed to Bentonsport, Van Buren county. Iowa, with his parents in 1858, attended school there until 1863 and Birmingham college, 1863-65. His father died in 1865 ; and he taught school in Bentons- port, 1865-68, and in Des Moines, Iowa, 1868-70. He commenced the study of law in the office of the Hon. Thomas M. Withrow of Des Moines in 1870 and removed with him to Chicago, 111., where he was admitted to the bar in 1872, and practised until 1897. He was married. June 11, 1873, to Julia Edith, daughter of George White of Des Moines. He was a representative in the Illi- nois legislature in 1879 ; state senator, 1882-85 ;