David H. Mason

David Haven Mason (March 17, 1818 – May 29, 1873) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Newton, Massachusetts, who served on the Massachusetts Board of Education, in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and later as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1870 until his death in 1873. Early life Mason was born on March 17, 1818, in Sullivan, New Hampshire, to John and Mary (Haven) Mason. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1841 and studied at law in Lancaster, New Hampshire, Boston, Massachusetts, and Harvard Law School. Legal career Mason was admitted to the Suffolk County bar in 1843 and began practicing in Boston. Lacking family or personal wealth, Mason was left with only twenty-five cents after securing his office and purchasing office furniture and law books. He was eventually able to establish a successful practice. In 1848 he moved from Boston to Newton, Massachusetts, where he lived for the rest of his life.