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George A. Mathews

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George A. Mathews
The Saint Paul Globe (Saint Paul Globe, MN), April 7, 1888
Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Dakota Territory
In office
March 4, 1889 – November 2, 1889
Preceded byOscar S. Gifford
Succeeded byNone (statehood achieved)
President of the Dakota Territorial Council
In office
1887–1888
Preceded byJ. H. Westover
Succeeded bySmith Stimmel
Member of the Dakota Territorial Council from the 7th District
In office
1883–1888
Preceded byElias McAuley
Succeeded byIreneus Atkinson
Mayor of Brookings, South Dakota
In office
1897–1903
Preceded byAlfred W. Hyde
Succeeded byJohn C. Jenkins
In office
1887–1889
Preceded byHerman H. Natwick
Succeeded byWilliam H. Roddle
In office
1883–1884
Preceded byAsher A. Aiken
Succeeded byHerman H. Natwick
Personal details
Born(1852-06-04)June 4, 1852
Potsdam, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1941(1941-04-19) (aged 88)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeGreenwood Cemetery, Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Cora M. Thomas (1881–1889)
Bertha Harriet Van Dusen (m. 1892–1929)
Children3
EducationUpper Iowa University (B.S., 1874)
University of Iowa (LL.B., 1878)
ProfessionAttorney

George Arthur Mathews (June 4, 1852 – April 19, 1941) was an American lawyer of Brookings, South Dakota. He was active in the government of the Dakota Territory, and was a territorial delegate to the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

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George A. Mathews was born in Potsdam, New York on June 4, 1852, the son of Amos Mathews and Silence A. (Folsom) Mathews.[1][2][3] He was raised and educated in Potsdam until he was 13, when his family moved to Fayette, Iowa.[4] After completing his early education in Fayette, Mathews studied at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, from which he graduated in 1874.[5] He then studied law at the University of Iowa, from which he graduated in 1878.[5] He was admitted to the bar in 1878 and commenced practice in Corning, Iowa.[1]

Career

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Mathews moved to Brookings, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota) in 1879.[1] In 1881, he was elected to Brookings' first city council.[6] He served as mayor of Brookings from 1883 to 1884.[7] In 1883, Mathews served on the commission that considered relocation of the territorial from Yankton.[8] He proposed Huron as the most suitable site, but the majority voted for Bismarck. In 1884 he became prosecuting attorney of the fifth judicial circuit for the Territory of Dakota.[1] In 1884, he was also elected to the Territorial council, and he was the council's president in 1887 and 1888.[1] He was mayor of Brookings again from 1887 to 1889.[7]

In 1888, Mathews was elected as a Republican to be the Territorial delegate to the U.S. House.[1] He served from March 4, 1889 until November 2, 1889, when North and South Dakota were admitted into the Union.[1] Because terms started in March, but congressional sessions began in November or December, Mathews did not travel to Washington, D.C.[9] According to Francis Case, who eulogized Mathews in the U.S. House, because a change in presidential administrations occurred while Mathews was Dakota's delegate, he was flooded with applications for the territory's numerous federal patronage positions, including U.S. Marshal.[9] Mathews and his law firm staff processed these applications and made hiring recommendations at Mathews' personal expense.[9]

Retirement and death

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In 1890, Mathews' political supporters proposed him as a candidate for one of the new state's U.S. Senate seats, but he declined to run.[10] Mathews resumed practicing law, and served again as mayor of Brookings from 1897 to 1903.[1] In 1910 he retired and moved to Los Angeles, California.[1] He died in Los Angeles on April 19, 1941 and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Brookings.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joint Committee On Printing, U.S. Congress (1928). Biographical Directory of the American Congress. 1774-1927. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1298 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Weekly Registerings: Hon. G. A. Mathews". The Brookings Register. Brookings, SD. September 16, 1892. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Van Deusen, Albert Harrison. Van Deursen Family. Vol. II. New York, NY: Frank Allaben Genealogical Company. p. 478 – via HathiTrust.
  4. ^ State Historical Society of South Dakota (1902). South Dakota Historical Collections. Vol. 1. Aberdeen, SD: News Printing Co. p. 162 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b State University of Iowa (October 15, 1910). The Iowa Alumnus. Vol. VIII. Iowa City, IA: The Old Capitol – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Poindexter, Colleen Zwieg (2010). Images of America: Brookings. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7385-7776-0 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Brookings City Clerk (2023). City of Brookings Directory: Elected Officials, Appointed Volunteer Boards, Committees, & Commissions. Brookings, SD: City of Brookings. p. 38.
  8. ^ "George A. Mathews, Esq". The Mitchell Capital and Weekly Republican. Mitchell, SD. October 29, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c Case, Francis (April 28, 1941). "Remarks of Hon. Francis Case of South Dakota in the House of Representatives". Congressional Record, 77th Congress, First Session. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. A1971 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Mathews Declines the Honor". The Mitchell Capital. Mitchell, SD. December 26, 1890. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the United States House of Representatives
from Dakota Territory
March 4, 1889 – November 2, 1889 		Succeeded by
statehood achieved
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