John Mathews (1744November 17, 1802) was a Founding Father of the United States and lawyer from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. He was a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

on behalf of South Carolina. 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 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 in the early 1760s and was promoted to lieutenant. He studied law at Middle Temple in London. 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, and he was speaker in 1777 and 1778. During the American Revolutionary War, he served as a captain in the Colleton County regiment. He was a founding trustee of the College of Charleston. 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 The Circular Congregational Church is a historic church building at 150 Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina, used by a congregation established in 1681. Its parish house, the Parish House of the Circular Congregational Church, is a highly ...

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 (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice of the United States. Additiona ...

and

Edward Rutledge Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an American Founding Father and politician who signed the Continental Association and was the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the 39th gover ...

. His sister Elizabeth Mathews was the wife of Founding Father

Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Heyward Jr. (July 28, 1746 – March 6, 1809) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, jurist, and politician. Heyward was active politically during the Revolutionary Era. As a member of the Continental Congress representing South Carol ...

References

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