John Mathews (1744November 17, 1802) was a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

and lawyer from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. He was a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

on behalf of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. On his return, he was elected the 33rd governor of South Carolina, serving a single term in 1782 and 1783.

Biography

Mathews was born in Charleston in the

Province of South Carolina The Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies i ...

in 1744. He was the son of John Mathews and Sarah Gibbes; the exact date of his birth is not known. He was commissioned an ensign and in the South Carolina Provincial Regiment which took part in an expedition against the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

in the early 1760s and was promoted to lieutenant. He studied law at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was a law clerk for Colonel Charles Pinckney after returning to South Carolina, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Charleston. In 1772, he was elected to the colonial Assembly. In 1775 and 1776, he was a member of the First and Second South Carolina Provincial Congresses. In 1776, he was appointed an associate judge of the state circuit court. From 1776 to 1780, he served in the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

, and he was speaker in 1777 and 1778. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, he served as a captain in the Colleton County regiment. He was a founding trustee of the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

. Mathews was a member of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1781 and was a supporter of the Articles of Confederation. He was then elected governor by the state legislature and served from 1782 to 1783. After leaving the governorship, Mathews won election as a judge of the state Court of Chancery in 1784. He was again elected to the South Carolina House in 1784. He was a judge of the state Court of Equity in 1791. Mathews died in Charleston on November 17, 1802. He was buried at Circular Congregational Church Burying Ground in Charleston.

Family

In 1766 he married Mary Wragg. After her death, in 1799 he married Sarah Rutledge, the sister of Founding Fathers

John Rutledge John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ...

and Edward Rutledge. His sister Elizabeth Mathews was the wife of Founding Father Thomas Heyward Jr.

References

1744 births 1802 deaths 18th-century American lawyers Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Signers of the Articles of Confederation Continental Congressmen from South Carolina Governors of South Carolina Founding Fathers of the United States 18th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub