Quick Facts
Biography
James W. Mason (1841–1875) was an African-American politician.
Early life
James W. Mason was born in 1841 in Chicot County, Arkansas. His father, Elisha Worthington, was a Kentucky-born large landowner and the owner of the Sunnyside Plantation in Chicot County. His mother was an African slave owned by his father. As a result, he was a mulatto. He had a sister, Martha.
He studied at Oberlin College in Ohio. He also studied in France.
Career
Mason was appointed as the postmaster of Sunnyside in 1867. As a result, he was the first African-American postmaster in all of the United States.
He served as a member of the Arkansas Senate from 1868 to 1869.
He was appointed as Consul General to Liberia on March 29, 1870. However, he failed to fill the position.
He served in the Arkansas Senate a second time, from 1871 to 1872. He then served as the Sheriff of Chicot County from 1872 to 1874. In the summer of 1873, he was arrested under the suspicion of inciting a race war in the county. However, the judge, Colonel John A. Williams, dismissed the trial.
Personal life
He married Rachel, who was also a mulatto. They had a daughter, Fannie.
Death
He died in 1875.