George Mason

Profession: Founding Father and Statesman

Nationality:

Biography: George Mason was an American statesman who is often remembered as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." Mason was one of the wealthiest planters in Virginia and an influential figure in the early days of the United States.

Although less celebrated than his contemporaries such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, Mason's contributions to the formation of American democratic principles were significant. He drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, a document that influenced Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence and later served as a blueprint for the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution.

Mason was briefly a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. At the convention, Mason was a strong advocate for individual rights and a critic of the centralization of government power. He argued for a bill of rights that would provide clear and defined protections for individual liberties.

Despite his advocacy, the Constitution was drafted without a bill of rights, leading Mason to refuse to sign it. He was one of three delegates present at the conclusion of the convention who chose not to sign, alongside Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and Edmund Randolph of Virginia. Mason's refusal was primarily based on the lack of adequate safeguards for individual rights and his concerns over the powers of the federal government.

His insistence on the need for a bill of rights would later be vindicated when the first ten amendments to the Constitution—the Bill of Rights—were ratified in 1791, largely embodying the principles Mason had championed.

Born: December 11, 1725
Birthplace: Fairfax County, Colony of Virginia, British America
Star Sign: Sagittarius

Died: October 7, 1792 (aged 66)