Harlan Mathews (January 17, 1927 – May 9, 2014) was a Democratic

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

from 1993 to 1994. He had previously served in the executive and legislative branches of state government in Tennessee for more than 40 years beginning in 1950.

Early life and education

Harlan Mathews was a native of

Walker County, Alabama Walker County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. "ACES Walker County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpage: ACES-Walker As of the 2020 census, the pop ...

. He was born January 17, 1927 in Sumiton, Alabama, the son of John William Mathews and Lillian (Young) Mathews. In 1944, after high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served until 1946. Returning to Alabama, he graduated from Jacksonville State College (now

Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degr ...

) with a B.A. degree in 1949. After graduating, Mathews obtained a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in public administration from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1950.Harlan Mathews, State Treasurer
''

Tennessee Blue Book The ''Tennessee Blue Book'' is an official government manual for the U.S. state of Tennessee, published by the Secretary of State of Tennessee. The ''Blue Book'' is typically published on a biennial basis. Its contents include details on the organ ...

1975-1978'' He began work on Governor

Gordon Browning Gordon Weaver Browning (November 22, 1889May 23, 1976) was an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939, and again from 1949 to 1953. He also served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 19 ...

's planning staff. When Frank G. Clement was elected in 1954, Mathews moved to the state's budget staff. A year after beginning his service as commissioner of finance and administration in 1961, he completed his law degree in 1962 from the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

Night Law School, now

Nashville School of Law Nashville School of Law (formerly known as the Nashville YMCA Night Law School), is a private law school founded in 1911. The school's students attend classes at night on a part-time basis. History In the fall of 1911, Morton B. Adams, Will ...

Early political career

Mathews joined the staff of the governor of Tennessee in 1950, serving governors

, Frank G. Clement, and

Buford Ellington Earl Buford Ellington (June 27, 1907 – April 3, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Tennessee from 1959 to 1963, and again from 1967 to 1971. Along with his political ally, Frank G. Clement, he helped lead a ...

. From 1961-1971 he served as commissioner of finance and administration. In January 1971, Mathews left the cabinet and entered the private sector for two years, working for Amcon International in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. In 1973, he became the legislative assistant to longtime

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury The Comptroller of the Treasury of Tennessee is an office established by Chapter 12 of the Public Acts of 1835-36 of Tennessee's General Assembly. Later, in 1870, the position of Comptroller became mandatory by the state constitution. The office h ...

Bill Snodgrass. In 1974, Mathews was elected state treasurer by the Tennessee General Assembly when his predecessor, Tom Wiseman, resigned to run for governor. The Tennessee General Assembly elected him to his first full two-year term as

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

in 1975, where he served until January 1987, when he became deputy to Governor Ned R. McWherter.

U.S. Senate

In 1993, Governor Ned McWherter appointed Mathews to the U.S. Senate following the resignation of

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

, who resigned to serve as

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. Upon appointing Mathews to the senate, McWherter announced Mathews’ role would be one of caretaker, to allow those who wanted to run for the position to prepare their campaigns. Mathews had no ambition of running for election to the U.S. Senate. In December 1994, Mathews left office and resumed a law practice in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

Death

Mathews died of brain cancer on May 9, 2014 at a hospice in Nashville. He was survived by his wife, Pat, and two sons. A third son, Richard Mathews, preceded him in death.

References

, 2001-02 Edition

External links

Senator Harlan Mathews Papers, 1993-1994
Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Senator Harlan Mathews Papers Addition, 1992-1994
Tennessee State Library and Archives. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Harlan 1927 births 2014 deaths People from Walker County, Alabama Jacksonville State University alumni Nashville School of Law alumni Vanderbilt University alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Tennessee Tennessee lawyers State cabinet secretaries of Tennessee Tennessee Democrats State treasurers of Tennessee Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Tennessee 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II