Mason who made much of his fortune in dry goods[1] was among the wealthiest landowners in New York City in the early 19th century.

He began his career as an apprentice tailor and then worked as a merchant in the dry goods business.

Mason, who would later be referred to as "the father of the Chemical Bank", and was one of the richest merchants of his day in New York, succeeded Baltus Melick in 1831.

[5] Mason was responsible for establishing the highly conservative business culture of the young bank that would persist for nearly 90 years.

For its first twenty-five years, the bank paid no dividends, nor did it pay interest on customer deposits.

[3] Mason left the bulk of his wealth to his daughters and largely cut his son out of his will after marrying an actress.