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Early Life

Mason Brown was born in Philadelphia on November 10, 1799 to Senator John Brown and Margaretta Mason Brown. He was raised at Liberty Hall, his parents' home in Frankfort, Kentucky. His early education was completed at home with private tutors, and as a teenager he went to Danville, Kentucky to study under Kean O'Hara in preparation for college. Mason Brown graduated from Yale University in 1820 and studied civil law at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky until 1823.

Career

Mason Brown began a law practice in Danville, Kentucky, and eventually became a judge. He was appointed to the Kentucky circuit bench in 1839, a position he held until 1849. He was the Secretary of State of Kentucky from 1855-1859 under Governor Charles S. Morehead, who was his friend and law partner.

Mason co-edited "A Digest of the Statute Laws of Kentucky" with Charles S. Morehead which was published in 1834. He also helped create the Frankfort Cemetery in 1844.

Family

In 1825, Mason married Judith H. Bledsoe of Lexington, Kentucky, the daughter of Senator Jesse Bledsoe. They had one child, Benjamin Gratz Brown, who later became the 20th Governor of Missouri and was a Vice Presidential candidate in the election of 1872. Judith died of pneumonia in 1827.

In 1835, Mason married Mary Yoder, daughter of Jacob Yoder. They had six children.

Death

Mason Brown died January 27, 1867 and is interred at the Frankfort Cemetery.

Liberty Hall

Mason Brown inherited Liberty Hall from his parents in 1835. His descendants continued to live there until 1937, when the house became a museum.

References

• Kentucky Encyclopedia (1992), pg. 130
• H. Levin, Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky (1897), pg. 208
• Biographical Encyclopedia of Kentucky (1878), pg. 58

External links

• Kentucky Secretary's Desk
• Liberty Hall Historic Site