Newton E . Mason Rear Admiral Newton Eliphalet Mason ( 14 October 1850 – 23 January 1945 ) was a United States Navy officer . His career included combat in the Spanish - American War and service during World War I , significant experience in ordnance duty , and a very long tour as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance . Early life . Mason was born in Monroeton , Pennsylvania , on 14 October 1850 , the son of Gordon Fowler Mason and Mary Anne Mason , and was educated at the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute in Tonawanda , Pennsylvania . He entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis , Maryland , on 24 July 1865 . Naval career . Mason graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1869 . His first assignment was aboard the sailing frigate for a special cruise from 1869 to 1870 , and he was promoted to ensign on 12 July 1870 . He underwent torpedo instruction in 1871 , was promoted to master on 12 July 1871 or in 1872 ( sources vary ) , and served aboard the screw frigate in the European Squadron from 1871 to 1872 . From 1873 to 1877 , Mason served in the North Atlantic Squadron , first aboard the monitor in 1873 , then aboard the gunboat from 1874 to 1875 , the monitor from 1875 to 1876 , and the screw sloop - of - war from 1876 to 1877 , and he was promoted to lieutenant on 8 November 1874 . He was aboard the receiving ship at League Island in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , from 1878 to 1880 and participated in the stormy and very difficult 27 March - 20 May 1880 voyage of the sailing sloop - of - war to Ireland to transport relief supplies in the wake of the 1879 famine there . He then had duty in the Asiatic Squadron from 1880 to 1884 , first aboard the sidewheel gunboat from 1880 to 1883 , then on the screw steamer from 1883 to 1884 . Returning to the United States , Mason had ordnance duty in Washington , D . C . , from 1884 to 1889 , first at the Washington Navy Yard from 1884 to 1885 and then at the Bureau of Ordnance from 1885 to 1889 . While at the bureau , he assisted in designing the first gun turret mounts and ammunition hoists ever used in the U . S . Navy , which were installed aboard the monitor . More duty in the North Atlantic Squadron followed , first aboard the gunboat from 1889 to October 1891 , then on the monitor USS " Miantonomoh " from October 1891 to November 1892 . Mason then returned to the Bureau of Ordnance for duty from November 1892 to June 1893 , followed by a tour as Inspector of Ordnance , overseeing the Naval Ordnance Proving Grounds at Indian Head , Maryland , from June 1893 to 1896 . He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 10 November 1896 . In November 1896 , Mason reported to the new armored cruiser , in time for her commissioning on 1 December 1896 , and saw action aboard her off Cuba during the Spanish - American War in 1898 , including the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July 1898 . Leaving " Brooklyn " in February 1899 , he was the Inspector of Ordnance at League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia from February to October 1899 , then served as Inspector of Ordnance at the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport , Rhode Island , beginning on 6 October 1899 . He was promoted to commander on 2 November 1899 . Masons tour at the torpedo station ended in July 1902 , and on 16 September 1902 he became commanding officer of the protected cruiser in the North Atlantic Fleet . During his tour , " Cincinnati " took the place of a battleship in the battleline during drills , then steamed across the Mediterranean Sea to transfer to the Asiatic Squadron , where she became part of a cruiser squadron . Mason left " Cincinnati " in April 1904 and on 1 August 1904 began a lengthy tour as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance which lasted until 31 May 1911 , During the tour je was promoted to captain on 30 September 1904 and to rear admiral on 12 November 1908 . On 27 February 1908 , he testified before the United States Senate about alleged structural defects in U . S . Navy battleships . He became a member of the General Board of the United States Navy on 25 May 1911 , and remained on the board until his retirement . Mason retired from the Navy upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 on 14 October 1912 . During the 1917 - 1918 participation of the United States in World War I , Mason was recalled to active duty to serve on the War Industries Board . While on this duty , he was the ordnance member of the Priorities Committee , which was created on 14 May 1917 and charged with deconflicting delivery priorities for the General Munitions Board of the Council of National Defense . Personal life . Mason married the former Isadora " Dora " Edmonia Hancock ( 16 October 1870 – 6 January 1927 ) on 4 April 1894 . They had at least one son , Gorden Hancock Mason ( 14 December 1896 – 4 December 1918 ) , who became a Navy officer and died at the rank of lieutenant , junior grade . Mason was a member of the Army and Navy Club of Washington , D . C . , the Sons of the American Revolution , and the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars . Death . Mason died on 23 January 1945 in Coronado , California , and is buried with his wife and son at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington , Virginia .