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19th century merican politician, Wisconsin pioneer, 1st Mayor of Fond du Lac From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mason Cook Darling (May 18, 1801 – March 12, 1866) was an American medical doctor, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of Wisconsin's first delegation to the United States House of Representatives after statehood (1848–1849), and was the first mayor of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.[1]
Mason Cook Darling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 2nd district | |
| In office June 9, 1848 – March 3, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Orsamus Cole |
| 1st Mayor of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 6, 1852 – April 1853 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | George McWilliams |
| 11th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory | |
| In office January 5, 1846 – January 4, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Walker |
| Succeeded by | William Shew |
| Member of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory from Brown, Manitowoc, Calumet, Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Marquette, Columbia, and Portage counties | |
| In office January 4, 1847 – June 5, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Walker |
| Succeeded by | William Shew |
| Representative to the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory from Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Brown, Fond du Lac, Marquette, Portage, Calumet, and Winnebago counties | |
| In office December 7, 1840 – January 4, 1847 Serving with Albert Gallatin Ellis (1840-1845), David Giddings (1840-1842), David Agry (1842-1845), Abraham Brawley (1845-1847), William Fowler (1845-1846), Elisha Morrow (1846-1847) | |
| Preceded by | Ebenezer Childs, Barlow Shackleford, Charles C. Sholes, and Jacob W. Conroe (Brown County district) |
| Succeeded by | Hugh McFarlane and Elisha Morrow |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the Greenwich district | |
| In office 1834–1835 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 18, 1801 Amherst, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 12, 1866 (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois |
| Resting place | Rienzi Cemetery Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Darling attended the public schools. He taught school in the State of New York. He then studied medicine, graduating from the Berkshire Medical College in 1824. After this he practiced medicine for thirteen years. He moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1837[2] and was one of the original settlers at Fond du Lac in 1838.[3]
Mason served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the town of Greenwich in Hampshire County, Massachusetts in 1834 prior to moving to Wisconsin Territory.[4] He served as member of the Territorial legislative assembly 1840–1846, and as member of the Territorial Council in 1847 and 1848. Upon the admission of Wisconsin as a State into the Union, Darling was elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress. He represented Wisconsin's newly created 2nd congressional district and served from June 9, 1848, to March 3, 1849. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848 to the Thirty-first Congress, and was succeeded by Orasmus Cole, a Whig. He was elected the first mayor of Fond du Lac in 1852.
In 1848, his daughter Helen married John A. Eastman. Darling founded Fond du Lac Lodge 26 Freemasons in 1849, and served as its First Master.[5] He resumed the practice of medicine and was a dealer in real estate at Fond du Lac until 1864, when he moved to Chicago, at the same time as the Eastmans.
He died in Chicago on March 12, 1866,[2][3] and was interred in Rienzi Cemetery, Fond du Lac.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Election, May 8, 1848 | |||||
| Democratic | Mason C. Darling | 9,683 | 58.62% | ||
| Whig | Alexander L. Collins | 6,836 | 41.38% | ||
| Plurality | 2,847 | 17.23% | |||
| Total votes | 16,519 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic win (new seat) | |||||
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