William E. Mason (American politician)

{{Short description|American politician (1850–1921)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = William Ernest Mason

|image = William E. Mason.jpg

|jr/sr = United States Senator

|state = Illinois

|term_start = March 4, 1897

|term_end = March 3, 1903

|predecessor = John M. Palmer

|successor = Albert J. Hopkins

| office1 = Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois

|constituency1 = {{ushr|IL|3|C}}

|term_start1 = March 4, 1887

|term_end1 = March 3, 1891

|predecessor1 = James Hugh Ward

|successor1 = Allan C. Durborow, Jr.

|constituency2 = {{ushr|IL|AL|At-large}}

|term_start2 = March 4, 1917

|term_end2 = June 16, 1921

|predecessor2 = William E. Williams

|successor2 = Winnifred S. M. Huck

|office4 = Member of the Illinois Senate

|office5 = Member of the Illinois House of Representatives

|birth_date = {{birth date|1850|7|7}}

|birth_place = Franklinville, New York

|death_date = {{death date and age|1921|6|16|1850|7|7}}

|death_place = Washington, D.C.

|party = Republican

|signature = Signature of William Ernest Mason (1850–1921).png

}}

William Ernest Mason (July 7, 1850{{spaced ndash}}June 16, 1921) was a Republican U.S. Representative and Senator from Illinois. He was the father of Winnifred Sprague Mason Huck.

Mason was born in Franklinville, New York. His family moved to Bentonsport, Iowa when he was 8. He attended Birmingham College. After graduating, he taught at Bentonsport Academy, which he had previously attended. After studying law, he moved to Chicago in 1872 and was admitted to the bar.{{cite web |title=Mason, William Ernest |url=https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/17605 |website=History, Art & Archives |publisher=U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=12 September 2020}}

Mason was elected to Congress in 1886 and again two years later. Following his defeat in 1890, he returned to law practice in Chicago in 1891 but was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1896. After one term, he returned to Chicago. He served three more terms in the House from 1917 until his death. Mason often was an opponent of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs. He delivered a fiery speech advocating self-governance for the Philippines during the Philippine–American War at the turn of the 20th century: "You cannot govern the Philippine Islands without taxing them. You have not yet their consent to tax them. You propose again to tax them without representation. Look out for tea parties"{{cite book |title=Speech of Hon. Wm E. Mason, of Illinois, in the Senate of the United States, Tuesday, January 10, 1899. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t1wd4qs4q&view=1up&seq=8 |via=Hathi Trust Digital Library | year=1899 | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |access-date=12 September 2020}} On April 5, 1917, he was one of 50 representatives who voted against declaring war on Germany.{{cite web |title=U.S. House of Representatives tally sheet for the Declaration of War on Germany, April 6, 1917 |url=https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/artifact/us-house-representatives-tally-sheet-declaration-war-germany-april-6-1917 |website=U.S. Capitol Visitor Center |access-date=12 September 2020}}

He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Waukegan, Illinois.