Marvin Dawson Mathis (November 30, 1940 – April 17, 2017) was an American politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Born in

Nashville, Georgia Nashville is a city in and the county seat of Berrien County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,029 at the 2022 census. It is called the "City of Dogwoods", as the tree grows in large numbers around the area. History Nashville was fo ...

, Mathis attended the Nashville public schools. He attended South Georgia College in

Douglas, Georgia Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

. From 1964 to 1970, he was news director of

WALB-TV WALB (channel 10) is a television station in Albany, Georgia, United States, serving Southwestern Georgia as an affiliate of NBC and ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power CW+ affiliate WGCW-LD (channel 36). Both stations s ...

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

. Mathis was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Ninety-second and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1981). He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination to the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

in 1980. In 1982 he tried to reclaim his old seat in the house but lost to successor Charles Hatcher in the Democratic primary. He became a private advocate. He was a resident of

. Mathis died in April 2017 in

Tifton, Georgia Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County. The area's public schools are administered by the Tift County School District. Abraham Baldwin Ag ...

, aged 76.Former U.S. congressman and WALB anchor passes away at 76
walb.com, April 18, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Marvin Dawson 1940 births 2017 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Berrien County, Georgia South Georgia State College alumni 20th-century American politicians