Biddy Mason: The Enslaved Woman Who Became A Real Estate Tycoon
Public DomainBiddy Mason fought for her freedom in the mid-19th century — and won.
Like many people in the Wild West, Bridget “Biddy” Mason was someone who forged her own path. But she overcame more than most in her journey from an enslaved woman to one of the richest people in Los Angeles.
Born enslaved in 1818, Mason spent most of her life following the whims of her master, Robert Marion Smith. A Mormon man, Smith forced Mason and other enslaved people to walk 1,700 miles from Mississippi to Utah, where Smith hoped to join a Mormon community. Mason trudged behind his caravan with her children, including a newborn baby.
But Smith made a mistake — he veered into California, a free state. There, slavery was illegal. And when Mason learned about this from free Black people living in California, she decided to do something about it.
Though Smith attempted to leave California for Texas, Biddy Mason had already made friends in California. A Black rancher named Robert Owens alerted the Los Angeles County Sheriff about Smith’s slaves, and the authorities stopped Smith before he could leave the state.
Library of CongressLos Angeles, circa 1886. During Biddy Mason’s life there, she became one of the city’s most prominent citizens.
Mason petitioned for her freedom on January 19, 1856. Though Smith attempted to bribe her lawyers, a judge granted her petition anyway — and Mason, and 13 members of her family, were finally free.
For the rest of her life, Biddy Mason worked to support other people. A nurse and midwife, Mason invested wisely and bought real estate in downtown Los Angeles. With her profits, she established a daycare, gave money to the poor, and helped found the city’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Though Biddy Mason became one of the richest women in Los Angeles at the time, she was buried in an unmarked grave at the city’s Evergreen Cemetery after she died on January 15, 1891, at the age of 72.
It wasn’t until almost 100 years later, in 1988, that she was given a tombstone. Then, the mayor of Los Angeles and 3,000 members of the church she founded attended a ceremony celebrating her life.
