Morgan Mason

• Name — Morgan Mason • President — Ronald Reagan • Order — Acting Chief of Protocol of the United States • Predecessor — Abelardo L. Valdez • Successor — Leonore Annenberg • Term Start — January 21, 1981 • Term End — March 20, 1981 • Order2 — Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States • President2 — Ronald Reagan • Order3 — Special Assistant to the President of the United States • President3 — Ronald Reagan • Born — 26 June 1955 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Children — 1 • Father — James Mason • Mother — Pamela Mason • Relatives — Portland Mason (sister) Isidore Ostrer (grandfather) • Occupation — * Political operative • film producer • actor • Birth Name — Alexander Morgan Mason

Mason was born June 26, 1955, in Los Angeles, California, the son of English parents, actor James Mason and actress and commentator Pamela Mason. His maternal grandfather, the financier and film producer Isidore Ostrer, was head of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. As a child, Mason appeared in the films Hero's Island (1962), along with his father, and The Sandpiper (1965), with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

When his grandfather Isidore Ostrer died, Mason inherited his seat on the board of Illingworth, Morris, Ltd., then the world's largest woolen textile company. Mason served as executive director and three years later sold the firm.

After moving to the U.S., Mason worked for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign. He served as assistant finance director, then as major events director, and served as a member of the campaign's executive advisory committee. Reagan selected him as a delegate-at-large from California to the 1980 Republican national convention. After the election, Mason was named special assistant to the co-chairmen of the presidential inaugural committee. After the inauguration, Mason was appointed deputy chief of protocol at the State Department. He was then named special assistant to the president for political affairs. During his tenure he was chosen to attend the funeral services of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat as a member of the official United States delegation, along with former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. From 1981 to 1982, at age 25, Mason served as Special Assistant to the President for Political Affairs in the White House Office of Political Affairs under President Reagan, one of the youngest full-time West Wing staffers in the modern era. Holding a West Wing badge and Top Secret/SCI clearance, he worked in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, reported through Lyn Nofziger and later Ed Rollins, and had regular access to President Reagan while coordinating political strategy and GOP outreach.

Mason married singer Belinda Carlisle in 1986, eloping to Lake Tahoe. They have a son, James Duke Mason. In 2017, he and Carlisle moved to Bangkok, Thailand, and by 2023 they were living in Mexico City.