Stevens Thomson Mason - Misunderstood Patriot - Paperback

Stevens Thomson Mason Misunderstood Patriot By KENT SAGENDORPH NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON COMPANY, INC. 1947 PREFACE STEVENS THOMSON MASON was a youth whose strong per sonality attracted people to him as to a magnet. In a raw, boisterous frontier atmosphere such as Detroits undeniably was in the 1830, Mason could not help becoming a popular hero, nor could he avoid becoming the target of political enmity. Caught between these two opposing forces, Mason lived in an environment of almost continuous drama. The selection of this remarkable character for an explanatory biography is, I think, an obvious one. Masons life contains the ingredients for sev eral books fiction, political history, and the more difficult work of sympathetic but objective biography, which I have here attempted to achieve. While Masons position in history is not that of an Andrew Jackson nor a Henry Clay, he nevertheless exerted a powerful influence upon his times and upon posterity. Throughout Michigan, as well as in other parts of our country, there has been some speculation among historians as to the cause of Masons eclipse in history. This volume throws some light on the subject by describing the circumstances under which Mason withdrew from public life the most remarkable in stance of its kind I have ever discovered. After more than a century in his grave, Mason remains very much alive in the memory of the people who live in the state he created. Legends about him, like those centering around Sam Houston, Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson himself, tend to obscure Masons lasting achievement by per petuating anecdotes about what he did, what he said, the clever ness with which he confounded his enemies. Legends about Masonas a character fail to do justice to him as a leader. The task of identifying and classifying great numbers of forgotten records, letters, bound files of documents and obscure reports bearing on Masons career has been exhausting and tedious. Fortunately I have had the help of scholars and his torians who know where original source material can be found, PREFACE and who have been most generous in assisting me to crystallize the Mason legends into a substance of solid historical fact. To them, in the most sincere terms, I convey my gratitude. Among them, the distinguished figure of Dr. George N. Fuller stands pre-eminent. Secretary of the Michigan Histori cal Society, head of the states Historical Commission until his recent retirement, Dr. Fuller regarded a popular biography of Mason as a welcome addition to the documentary records about him. He plunged into this work enthusiastically and helped me with the research over a period of several years. His successor and present Secretary, Lewis Beeson, carried on Dr. Fullers cordial cooperation by supplying me with new references. My warmest thanks go to them and to their staff at Lansing. To Mr. Sydney Bonnick, the well-known photo graphic technician of Detroit, who created excellent illustra tions from old pictures, congratulations. Mr. Bonnick made a new photographic copy of the Mason state portrait for the frontispiece of this volume which is also used officially by the State of Michigan. To Mr. Stevens T. Mason of California, grand-nephew of the Governor and retired attorney of Detroit, I express my thanks for locating many of Masons family possessions and books and the long-lost portrait which he caused to be copied for this book. Mr.Haskell Nichols of Jackson, also, located and forwarded to me invaluable records of Mason and his times. Mr. W. A. Swanberg of New York, who assisted me most vitally in the preparation of this manuscript, has been my loyal friend. To them, and to all those who have volun tarily assisted in the classifying of these new discoveries of Masoniana, my most sincere gratitude. KS CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE 7 L THE MASONS OF VIRGINIA 15 II. FRESH GRAVES IN KENTUCKY 40 1812-1822 III. A GENTLEMAN TO SEE THE PRESIDENT 74 1822-18 0 IV...