"Early History of Thurston County, Washington; Together with Biographies and
Reminiscences of those Identified with Pioneer Days." Compiled and Edited by
Mrs. George E. (Georgiana) Blankenship.  Published in Olympia, Washington, 1914.
p. 366.
 
JUDGE MASON IRWIN

     The first Judge of the Superior Court of Thurston County was Mason Irwin.
who was elected to that honor at the time the Territory of Washington was
admitted as a State in 1889.  At that, time there were four counties in the
district of Thurston, Chehalis, Lewis and Mason. Judge Irwin held court in all
four of these counties, until the Legislature took Thurston out of the district
and gave that county a separate Judge, J. W. Robinson, now of Seattle, being
appointed by Lieutenant-Governor Lawton who was acting Governor at the time.
Governor E. P. Ferry was out of the State for some months on account of
his health.
     Judge Irwin made his home in Lewis County, and has been Judge of the
Superior Court there for several successive terms.
     His first wife was a daughter of Governor Newell, and among the Judge's
pleasant remembrances are his official visits to the Capitol City to attend
court. The first wife died in 1891 and several years later Judge Irwin remarried
and his family now consists of his wife and six children. In referring to his
early Olympia experiences, Judge Irwin said:
    "There is little to be said about my experiences on the bench in that
county; they were the usual experiences of a judge on the bench. They had an
agreeable Bar there at that, time, and I had many acquaintances in the city and
made many acquaintances throughout the county, through the jurors coming in to
attend court."

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Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in May 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.