Mason C. Darling

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	(1801-05-18)May 18, 1801 Amherst, Massachusetts
Died	March 12, 1866(1866-03-12) (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois
Resting place	Rienzi Cemetery Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic

Background

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]

Public office

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.

Private life

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.

A street in Fond du Lac is named Darling Pl. after him.

Electoral history

United States House of Representatives (1848)

Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Special Election, 1848^[6]

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)

See also

• List of mayors of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin