mason

To build of or strengthen with masonry.

American Revolutionary politician from Virginia. A member of the Constitutional Convention (1787), he voiced criticism that resulted in the drafting of the Bill of Rights. His grandson James Murray Mason (1798-1871) was a Confederate diplomat to Great Britain and France.

American musician and composer who developed the first music program for American public schools (1838) and composed several hymns, including “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”