D. Willis Mason

D. Willis Mason was the 3rd mayor of the City of Windsor from 1895-1896. He was also notable as a business owner and manufacturer.

Mason was born in Bunker Hill, Indiana in 1862. After the family relocated in Sandwich, Ontario, he worked at his father’s mercantile business which was located at the corner of D. Willis MasonMill and Bedford (now Sandwich Street). Mason attended school in the Sandwich area and graduated from Assumption College. He served four years on the Sandwich Board of Education. Mason was known as the ‘Kid Mayor’ of Sandwich, being elected as mayor in 1888 at the age of 26. He was re-elected in 1899. In 1895 and 1896 Mason was elected as mayor of the City of Windsor. He married Clara Mason in 1912, and together had two children. Mason went into business in Windsor, and later moved to Detroit to become a building and supplies manufacturer. He retired from business in 1932 and would remain in Detroit for the rest of his life. He died in Highland Park, Detroit, Michigan on March 1st, 1949.

References

“Early mayor of city dies.” The Windsor Daily Star. Mar 2nd 1949.