John Elie Mathews (July 19, 1892 – April 29, 1955) was an American lawyer, legislator, and judge. He was a justice of the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

from 1951 to 1955. Mathews was born on July 19, 1892, in

Tattnall County, Georgia Tattnall County is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia, located within the Magnolia Midlands, a part of the Historic South region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,842. The county seat is Reidsvil ...

.Erik Robinson, "Florida Supreme Court Justices: List of Life Dates", Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (June 2010). Mathews began his legal career in Georgia in 1913 before moving to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

and opening a practice in 1916. He married Alice Schumpert. His son, future Florida legislator John E. Mathews Jr., was born in 1920. He served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 1928 to 1932. In 1942, Mathews was elected to the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

. In 1945, he was a part of the movement to re-apportion the legislature to reflect the growing population in the state's cities. Mathews led an unsuccessful campaign to exclude blacks from the Democratic primary election in 1947. He was also an opponent of desegregation of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

during his time in the Senate. In 1950, Mathews was defeated in a re-election campaign, partially through the mobilization of black voters. In 1951, Justice Alto Adams resigned from the Florida Supreme Court to run for governor.Joseph A. Boyd Jr., Randall Reder,
A History of the Florida Supreme Court
, ''University of Miami Law Review'' (1981), p. 1059. Mathews was chosen as his replacement by political ally Governor

Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...

, and he joined the Court on October 23, 1951. As a justice, Mathews spearheaded the creation of the District Courts of Appeal to reduce the workload of the Supreme Court. He spoke out against the

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

ruling that integrated the nation's schools. Mathews' health had already begun to fail when he became the Chief Justice in January 1955. He died of a heart attack on April 29, 1955, in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

. The

Mathews Bridge The Mathews Bridge is a cantilever bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, which spans the St. Johns River. Constructed in 1953, the bridge brings traffic along the Arlington Expressway between downtown Jacksonville and the Arlington neighborhood. It ...

in Jacksonville is named in honor of him.

References

1892 births 1955 deaths Democratic Party Florida state senators Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida People from Tattnall County, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature {{Florida-state-judge-stub