David H. Mason
David Hastings Mason (1829-1903) was born on January 8, 1829, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, also named David Mason, was a partner in a manufacturing firm which made instruments for engraving textiles. The elder Mason was apparently a man of invention, who owned several patents in the industry. In 1837, the elder Mason was made a chief coiner for the United States Mint in Dahlonega, Georgia, and subsequently moved his family down South. There were no schools in Dahlonega at this time, but the younger Mason was an avid reader and showed a passion for literary pursuits. Indeed, while still in his teens, Mason began contributing to a local newspaper. In the 1840s, Mason would be admitted into Yale but could only complete two years of study due to the death of his father and a lack of finances. In 1849, Mason would partake in the goldrush and would leave for California. He would remain in California for two years. When he was not mining for gold, he would teach at a school in San Jose and write for a local newspaper. In 1851, Mason would then move to New Haven, Connecticut, where he would meet his wife, Margaretta Woodward, who was the daughter of a well-known Whig editor in that state. Mason and his wife would move around a lot for the next several years, while Mason pursued his career in journalism.
They would eventually settle in Chicago in 1867, however, where Mason would write for the Chicago Tribune, the Republican, and the Journal of Commerce. Eventually in 1869, Mason would be made editor-in-chief of the Republican. Then after developing an interest in the tariff question, he was made the tariff editor of the Journal of Commerce. In 1872, the Republican would be absorbed into the newspaper, the Chicago Inter-Ocean. From then, Mason would also be tasked with writing articles on protection for the Inter-Ocean. Due to his articles proving tremendously popular with readers, he would be appointed as the main tariff editor of the newspaper in 1875.
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In 1876, several of his best articles would be compiled and published in a sizable pamphlet entitled How the Western Farmers are Benefitted from Protection. In 1880, Mason would resign his post at the Inter-Ocean. Then, in 1884, after thirteen years of investigating the tariff question, Mason would publish his main treatise on the topic. This work was entitled A Short Tariff History of the United States, and within five years, it had sold around 12,000 copies. Mason would also continue to write articles on protection for newspapers and journals, with various articles appearing in The Protectionist. From 1898 until his death, Mason would work for the United States Post Office. He passed away on June 17, 1903, from pneumonia.