Charles P. Mason

Charles Perry Mason (January 12, 1891 – August 13, 1971) was an American Vice Admiral of the United States Navy and an early naval aviator. He was the Mayor of Pensacola from 1947 to 1957 and again from 1963 to 1965.

Charles Perry Mason
Born(1891-01-12)January 12, 1891
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Died13 September 1971(1971-09-13) (aged 80)
Pensacola, Florida
Place of burial
St. John’s Cemetery, Pennsylvania
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1912–1946
RankVice Admiral
Commands heldUSS Hornet (CV-8)
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Battles/warsWorld War I,
World War II
AwardsNavy Cross
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Other workMayor of Pensacola

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Mason attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1912, and became a naval aviator in 1917.

In 1918, Lieutenant Mason was deployed to Europe flying the first American-built aircraft to be assembled in France during World War I.

In 1923, Lieutenant Commander Mason took command of VS Squadron 3, a special service squadron assigned to develop long-distance scouting planes.

In 1940, Captain Mason became the first commanding officer of the newly commissioned Naval Air Station Jacksonville.[1]

Mason was present at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack there on December 7, 1941. In April 1942 he was appointed Commander, Patrol Wing 1, and in July he took command of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet.

During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, he earned the Navy Cross for his defense of the ship before its destruction in that battle.[2][3] Promoted to Rear Admiral, he was appointed Commander, Aircraft, Solomon Islands in February 1943 before being evacuated soon after with severe malaria and pneumonia.[4] Thereafter he was the Commander of the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.[1]

Vice Admiral Mason retired from active duty in April 1946, having served in the Navy for 38 years.

Later life

First settling in Jacksonville, after retirement he soon returned to Pensacola, where he became Mayor of Pensacola in 1947 and served till 1957 and again from 1963 to 1965.[5]

Mason married Ralphine Fisher in Pensacola in 1917. While he was deployed in the Pacific War, his only son, C. P. Mason II, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a naval aviator, was killed in an airplane crash in Nevada. Mason and his wife raised their grandson, C. P. Mason III, after their daughter-in-law was killed in a car crash. C. P. Mason III graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became a naval aviator.[6]

Admiral Mason died August 13, 1971 and is buried at St. John's Cemetery, Pensacola.

Admiral Mason Park in Pensacola is named after him.

References
  1. "Charles Perry Mason 1891–1971". EarlyAviators.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  2. Campbell 2011, pp. 91–92.
  3. Hornet (CV-8) vii.
  4. "Mason, Charles Perry". The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  5. St. John's Cemetery - Pensacola's Heritage
  6. Mason, C. P., III | UWF University Archives and West Florida History Center
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