Mason, George

Born: December 11, 1725; Fairfax County, Virginia.  Death: October 7, 1792; Fairfax County, Virginia.  Mason was an Anti-Federalist.  Though a member of the Constitutional Convention, Mr. Mason advocated strong local government and a weak central government, leading him to be very critical of the formation of the federal government through the Constitution and refusing to sign the final draft.  His protests ultimately led to the creation of, and the adoption of, the Bill of Rights.  At the Constitutional Convention, Mason vigorously opposed the provision that allowed the slave trade to continue until 1808 (despite being a slaveholder himself), referring to the slave trade as “disgraceful to mankind.”