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 highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

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. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,520. The county seat is Reidsville. Tattnall County was created on December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery ...

.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 a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

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 of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

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 of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

. 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 land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

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 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

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 capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

. 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 w ...

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 Florida Supreme Court People from Tattnall County, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers {{Florida-state-judge-stub