Sir Charles Willie Mathews, 1st Baronet, (16 October 1850 – 6 June 1920), familiarly known as Willie Mathews, was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

. He was born Charles Willie West in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the son of actress Elizabeth Jackson (stage name Lizzie Weston; d.1899) and her first husband William West.Lentin, A. (2004)
"Mathews, Sir Charles Willie, baronet (1850–1920)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press. Accessed 15 July 2008. (Subscription required) Lizzie Weston married, as her third husband, the actor

Charles James Mathews Charles James Mathews (26 December 1803 – 24 June 1878) was a British actor. He was one of the few British actors to be successful in French-speaking roles in France. A son of the actor Charles Mathews, he achieved a greater reputation th ...

in 1857, one day after divorcing her second husband, A. H. Davenport (1831–1873). Charles Willie assumed his stepfather's surname by deed poll. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and after spending three years in Europe he joined the chambers of Montagu Williams as a pupil aged about twenty-one. In 1886, Williams retired as junior counsel to

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...

. The post was split into two and Mathews was appointed to one of the vacant offices. Two years later he was promoted to Senior Treasury Counsel, and in the same year he married Lucy Sloper but they had no children. Mathews appeared in several infamous cases, including '' R. v. Dudley and Stephens'',

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's suit for libel against

John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry (20 July 184431 January 1900), was a British nobleman of the Victorian era, remembered for his atheism, his outspoken views, his brutish manner, for lending his name to the " Queensberry Rules" t ...

and

Lord Colin Campbell Lord Colin Campbell (9 March 1853 – 18 June 1895) was a Scottish Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons from 1878 to 1885. Biography Campbell was the fifth son of George C ...

's divorce proceedings. He prosecuted the

Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (Afrikaans: ''Jameson-inval'', , 29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson ...

ers, Arthur Alfred Lynch, and Louise Masset, who murdered her own son at

Dalston Junction railway station Dalston Junction is a station on the Windrush line of the London Overground, located in Dalston, Greater London, London. Situated in Travelcard Zone 2, the station is located in a short section of cut and cover tunnel north of the Kingsland Vi ...

. He successfully prosecuted

Kitty Byron Emma "Kitty" Byron (1878 – after 1908) was a British murderess found guilty in 1902 of stabbing to death her lover Arthur Reginald Baker, for which crime she was sentenced to death. This was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. Bac ...

for the murder of her lover Arthur Reginald Baker in 1902. Mathews was famous for his courtroom flair and aggressive advocacy. A court reporter who often saw him in action was journalist Bernard Falk (1882-1960). Mathews was very sociable; he was a member of the

Turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

, Garrick, and

Beefsteak Club Beefsteak Club is the name or nickname of several 18th- and 19th-century male dining clubs in Britain and Australia that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity. The first beefsteak c ...

s, and was a friend of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

and

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

. In the

1892 United Kingdom general election The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury again win the greatest number of seats, but no longer a majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won 80 more seat ...

, he was the Liberal candidate for

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, but was not returned. The following year, he was appointed recorder of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. He was knighted in 1907, and was the first independent Director of Public Prosecutions from 1908 until his death, despite ill health. He was created a baronet in 1917. He was buried in

Putney Vale Cemetery Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in southwest London is located in Putney Vale, surrounded by Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. It is located within of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 193 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Charles Willie 1850 births 1920 deaths People educated at Eton College Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Lawyers awarded knighthoods Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery American emigrants to the United Kingdom Directors of Public Prosecutions (England and Wales) Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates English barristers