Richard Barnes Mason

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Richard Barnes Mason

Richard Barnes Mason (born January 16, 1797 in Lexington , Virginia , † July 25, 1850 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was an American Army officer and sixth Military Governor of California .

biography

Mason was born the grandson of George Mason , one of the United States' founding fathers. In 1817 he joined the army, was assigned to the infantry and took part in the Black Hawk War . In 1833 he moved to the Dragoons as a major . During the Mexican-American War it was used in what is now New Mexico and California. He rose to the rank of colonel .

After the end of the war he was from May 31, 1847 to April 13, 1849 Military Governor of California, which at that time did not yet have the official status of a US state. Mason reported to President James K. Polk about the gold discoveries at Johann August Sutter . As a result of this discovery, the California Gold Rush developed .

Mason did not survive his term in California for long, he died on July 25, 1850 in Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri.

literature

  • Carolyn Foreman (March 1941). Chronicles of Oklahoma . Oklahoma Historical Society vol. 19 (No. 1): pp. 15-36. OCLC 1554537.

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personal data
SURNAME Mason, Richard Barnes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Military Governor of California
DATE OF BIRTH January 16, 1797
PLACE OF BIRTH Lexington , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH July 25, 1850
Place of death St. Louis , Missouri