Raymond K. Mason
Encyclopedia
Raymond K. Mason has been an American business leader for nearly sixty years, almost 40 as head of the Charter Company
in Jacksonville, Florida
. Charter was in the Fortune 500
for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984.
in 1927. Raymond and his wife, Minerva were married in 1948 and went to New York City for their honeymoon. They enjoyed New York and returned so often that in 1972, they purchased one of 75 co-ops at The Pierre, a 41-floor Hotel at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 161st Street in Harlem that looks like a French chateau. The couple had three children: Raymond, Jr, Varina and Marcy; they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008.
Raymond graduated from the University of North Carolina
in 1949 with a B.A. in Economics and immediately took over his family's Jacksonville business, the Mason Lumber Company.
that same year and was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until 1987. The business was divided into three groups.
Raymond K. Mason has served as Vice Chairman of Juniper Content Corporation since January 2007 and as a Director of Firestone Communications
, which operates a Spanish children's television network, since July, 2003. That same year, he acquired a 35 percent interest in Intrepid Capital Management Inc., a Jacksonville Beach investment management firm. He also has an interest in AccentHealth
, which provides medical information for consumers.
Mr. Mason has been Chairman of Rebuilding Services, Inc. (since July 1949), Acorn Ventures, Inc. (since August 1998), 12K, LLC (since December 2003), managing partner of Middle East Ventures and Connemara Capital Company, LLC (since December 2003), which are private investment companies with investments in real estate, media, financial services, oil and gas and transportation.
for nine years before running the du Pont trust's businesses by himself for another 46 years. Mr. Ball was Raymond Mason's mentor, friend and confidant for decades. Raymond Mason, in turn, was claimed as a mentor by at least a dozen of his young executives at Charter.
Epping Forest
was the former estate of Alfred I. du Pont
and Jessie Ball du Pont, Edward’s sister. When Jessie died in 1970, Ed Ball arranged the sale of Epping Forest to Raymond Mason.
Mason was good friends with President Gerald Ford
and hosted talks between Ford and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
in November, 1975 at Epping Forest, Mason's home. Ex-President Ford became a consultant to the Charter Company and attended the funeral of Charter president Jack T. Donnell in 1982.
Raymond Mason sold Epping Forest to Herb Peyton
and Gate Petroleum
in 1984 when Charter was in financial difficulty.
The Mason mansion, which the Masons still own, is a castle in Ballynahinch, County Galway
, Ireland
, renowned for its salmon fishing, its 350 acres (1.4 km²) landscaped estate and 13000 acres (52.6 km²) of woodcock hunting.
Minerva Mason heads a syndicate that has owned Ballynahinch Castle since the late 1970s. It has been run as a hotel since the 1940s and was purchased by Edward Ball in 1957 for a fraction of its present value, which Mrs. Mason estimates at around $15 million.
Mrs. Mason stays about "three months a year in a separate house on the castle grounds" and admits that they spent "millions" on the castle's 28 guest rooms. They recently added an annex of 12 rooms.
The Masons also contributed to the complete renovation of the Swisher Theatre at Jacksonville University
, which re-opened in February, 2007.
Charter Company
The Charter Company of Jacksonville, Florida was a conglomerate with more than 180 subsidiaries that was in the Fortune 500 for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984 before it sought bankruptcy protection in late 1984 and spiraled into obscurity....
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Charter was in the Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984.
Personal life
Raymond Knight Mason was born in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in 1927. Raymond and his wife, Minerva were married in 1948 and went to New York City for their honeymoon. They enjoyed New York and returned so often that in 1972, they purchased one of 75 co-ops at The Pierre, a 41-floor Hotel at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 161st Street in Harlem that looks like a French chateau. The couple had three children: Raymond, Jr, Varina and Marcy; they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008.
Raymond graduated from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
in 1949 with a B.A. in Economics and immediately took over his family's Jacksonville business, the Mason Lumber Company.
Charter Companies
Mason founded the Charter CompanyCharter Company
The Charter Company of Jacksonville, Florida was a conglomerate with more than 180 subsidiaries that was in the Fortune 500 for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984 before it sought bankruptcy protection in late 1984 and spiraled into obscurity....
that same year and was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until 1987. The business was divided into three groups.
- Charter Oil - Because of his work with the oil industry, Mason developed a close friendship with Gerald FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in the early 1970s. King FaisalFaisal of Saudi ArabiaFaisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamic Nationalism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian...
of Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
asked Mason to speak on his behalf to then President Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, but Mason was unable to access Nixon because of Watergate. Then Vice President Ford saw him instead, which started their friendship.
- Charter Insurance
- Charter Communications
Other Business
He was a director of Florida National Banks of Florida, Inc. from 1960 to 1974; in 1978, he became Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and controlling shareholder of American Banks of Florida, Inc., until their merger with SouthTrust of Alabama, Inc. in 1998.Raymond K. Mason has served as Vice Chairman of Juniper Content Corporation since January 2007 and as a Director of Firestone Communications
Firestone Communications
Firestone Communications is a media and communications Company based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company provides satellite uplink services for television network and programming distribution, and production facilities and services for television and video production.Firestone also owns ¡Sorpresa!...
, which operates a Spanish children's television network, since July, 2003. That same year, he acquired a 35 percent interest in Intrepid Capital Management Inc., a Jacksonville Beach investment management firm. He also has an interest in AccentHealth
AccentHealth
AccentHealth is America's largest point-of-care TV network created specifically for patients in medical waiting rooms. The AccentHealth program reaches 8.5 million viewers monthly in 11,500 waiting rooms nationwide....
, which provides medical information for consumers.
Mr. Mason has been Chairman of Rebuilding Services, Inc. (since July 1949), Acorn Ventures, Inc. (since August 1998), 12K, LLC (since December 2003), managing partner of Middle East Ventures and Connemara Capital Company, LLC (since December 2003), which are private investment companies with investments in real estate, media, financial services, oil and gas and transportation.
Mentor
Edward Ball was a powerful figure in business and politics in Florida for decades despite the fact that he never held public office and did not own the assets he controlled. He worked for and with his brother-in-law, Alfred I. du PontAlfred I. du Pont
Alfred Irénée du Pont was an American industrialist, financier and philanthropist. A member of the influential Du Pont family, Alfred du Pont first rose to prominence through his work in his family's Delaware-based gunpowder manufacturing plant, E. I...
for nine years before running the du Pont trust's businesses by himself for another 46 years. Mr. Ball was Raymond Mason's mentor, friend and confidant for decades. Raymond Mason, in turn, was claimed as a mentor by at least a dozen of his young executives at Charter.
Ball Biography
In 1976, Raymond Mason collaborated with Virginia Harrison to author a book about the life of Edward Ball, Confusion to the enemy : a biography of Edward Ball. This book was the "authorized" biography, whereas the book, Ed Ball, confusion to the enemy by Leon Odell Griffith, published the previous year, was done by an outsider.Charter biography
Mason also wrote a book about Charter, "The history of the Charter Company: its challenges and opportunities", published by Newcomen Society in North America, 1983.Jacksonville
Epping Forest (Jacksonville, Florida)
Epping Forest was an historic, estate in Jacksonville, Florida where a luxurious riverfront Mansion was built in the mid-1920s by industrialist Alfred I. du Pont and his third wife, Jessie Ball du Pont. It was added to the U.S...
was the former estate of Alfred I. du Pont
Alfred I. du Pont
Alfred Irénée du Pont was an American industrialist, financier and philanthropist. A member of the influential Du Pont family, Alfred du Pont first rose to prominence through his work in his family's Delaware-based gunpowder manufacturing plant, E. I...
and Jessie Ball du Pont, Edward’s sister. When Jessie died in 1970, Ed Ball arranged the sale of Epping Forest to Raymond Mason.
Mason was good friends with President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
and hosted talks between Ford and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
in November, 1975 at Epping Forest, Mason's home. Ex-President Ford became a consultant to the Charter Company and attended the funeral of Charter president Jack T. Donnell in 1982.
Raymond Mason sold Epping Forest to Herb Peyton
Herb Peyton
Herbert Hill "Herb" Peyton is an American entrepreneur and founder of Gate Petroleum in Jacksonville, Florida, which had sales of $1.44 billion in 2008...
and Gate Petroleum
Gate Petroleum
Gate Petroleum is a privately held diversified corporation headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the 11th largest in Florida in 2010. In FY 2008, the company ranked #338 on the Forbes list of America's Largest Private Companies...
in 1984 when Charter was in financial difficulty.
Ireland
Ballynahinch, County Galway
Ballynahinch or Ballinahinch is situated close to Recess in County Galway in the West of Ireland, on the road from Recess to Roundstone. It also lies on the route of the former railway line from Galway city to Clifden...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, renowned for its salmon fishing, its 350 acres (1.4 km²) landscaped estate and 13000 acres (52.6 km²) of woodcock hunting.
Minerva Mason heads a syndicate that has owned Ballynahinch Castle since the late 1970s. It has been run as a hotel since the 1940s and was purchased by Edward Ball in 1957 for a fraction of its present value, which Mrs. Mason estimates at around $15 million.
Mrs. Mason stays about "three months a year in a separate house on the castle grounds" and admits that they spent "millions" on the castle's 28 guest rooms. They recently added an annex of 12 rooms.
Philanthrophy
The Eagle Foundation, Inc. is the entity used by the Masons for charitable donations. On December 7, 2006, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens received a $5 million gift to help "create a place of culture and beauty for all", according to museum founder Ninah Cummer's vision. Minerva's association with the museum goes back to the building's opening on November 11, 1961. She was a member of the advisory group to the board and served on the music committee.The Masons also contributed to the complete renovation of the Swisher Theatre at Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
, which re-opened in February, 2007.