Senator Eugene Irving Mason View All Years

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Eugene Irving Mason

Poweshiek County

EUGENE IRVING MASON

MR. PRESIDENT: Your committee, appointed to prepare suitable resolutions commemorating the life, character and public service of the late Honorable Eugene Irving Mason, a former member of the General Assembly of Iowa, begs leave to submit the following report:

Eugene Irving (“Dan”) Mason was born on a farm east of Brooklyn, Iowa, May 6, 1879. He died February 8, 1946, at Grinnell, Iowa.

He was the son of Eugene H. and Sarah E. (Manatt) Mason, a prominent farm family of Poweshiek county, honored and respected for their integrity and for their cultural and forward looking attitude toward the better things of life.

“Dan” attended rural schools and the high school of Brooklyn, and then the law college at Iowa State University. He was admitted to the bar in Oklahoma, but engaged in sales work as a commercial traveler for twenty-five years. Following this he returned to the home farm and operated several hundred acres of Poweshiek county land.

He was married to Rae H. Lynch of Phillipsburg, Kansas, and they had one daughter, Faith W., Mrs. Charles J. Santoro, now residing on the home farm east of Brooklyn. His wife preceded him in death.

He served one term as Senator from the twelfth district, composed of Poweshiek and Keokuk counties, from 1935 through 1938. He was of the Democratic faith, ardent in support of the principles of that party, but fair to opponents and vigorously opposed to all class legislation.

Senator Mason was co-author of the Iowa homestead exemption bill and advocated lower taxes, farm-to-market roads and repeal of the tax support given to the Farm Bureau. He never lost interest in public affairs nor failed to further the cause of efficiency and honesty in governmental administration.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Fifty-second General Assembly, That in the passing of the Honorable Eugene Irving Mason, the state has lost a valuable and honored citizen and the Senate would tender by this resolution its sincere sympathy to the surviving members of his family, and,

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the Senate, and that the Secretary be instructed to send an enrolled copy to the family of the deceased.

LUKE VITTETOE,

W. N. SKOURUP,

RICHARD V. LEO,

Committee.

The resolution was unanimously adopted.

Senate District 12