Mathews, John, 1744-1802

MATHEWS, John, a Delegate from South Carolina; born in Charleston, S.C., in 1744; commissioned ensign on September 20, 1760, and lieutenant November 16, 1760, in the South Carolina Provincial Regiment in the Cherokee expedition; passed the Middle Temple, London, England, as a barrister in 1764; returned to South Carolina and was elected to the commons house of assembly in 1772; appointed by the convention of 1774 a member of the ``general committee of ninety-nine''; member of the First and Second Provincial Congresses of South Carolina in 1775 and 1776; associate judge of the circuit court of the State in 1776; during the Revolutionary War served as a captain in the Colleton County regiment; member of the State house of representatives 1776-1780 and served as speaker in 1777 and 1778; Member of the Continental Congress 1778-1781; Governor of South Carolina in 1782 and 1783; elected judge of the court of chancery in March 1784; again elected to the State house of representatives in November 1784; elected judge of the court of equity in 1791 and served until 1797, when he resigned; died in Charleston, S.C., November 17, 1802.

<p>John Mathews (1744 – November 17, 1802) was a Founding Father of the United States and lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the Articles of Confederation 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<ul><b>RACES</b>
<li>01/31/1782 SC Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1781 SC Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1780 SC Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1779 SC Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1778 SC Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1777 SC Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
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