The Mathews family is an American political family originally descended from Samuel Mathews (d.1657) [and later American pioneer John Mathews] (d. 1757) and Ann Archer, originating in colonial Virginia and active in Virginia and the American South in the 17th–20th centuries.

The family is of Welsh Descent with Cap. Samuel Mathews arriving in Jamestown in 1619. His son, Col. Samuel Mathews Jr., was the Colonial Governor of Virginia from 1656 until he died in office in 1660. Later generations migrated west, settling in Augusta County (present-day Rockbridge County), Virginia. Several members played a role in the American Revolution, and numerous members were elected to the Virginia General Assembly over successive generations, while additionally members have been involved in the politics of West Virginia, Georgia, and other U.S. states in roles including state governor and state legislator, among others. Members have served in the U.S. military as generals, colonels, and other officers. Notable members include George Mathews, Sampson Mathews, Henry M. Mathews, and Mason Mathews Patrick.

The Mathews family is believed to be of Scotch-Irish and/or possibly Welsh ethnicity.^[1][2] Numerous, sometimes conflicting family traditions exist regarding the Old World origins of John Mathews (d. 1757). Several of these traditions hold that Mathews was a descendant of a Welsh Mathew family, of which there existed branches throughout Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} However, these traditions lack corroborating records and/or remain speculative.^[7] Mathews likely immigrated to America during early years of the Scotch-Irish immigration of 1717–1775.^[8] The female progenitor of the family, Ann Archer, immigrated to America during this period, and was of Scotch-Irish ethnicity.^[8]

John Mathews settled in Augusta County, Virginia around 1737 and held several local offices in the community.^[8][9] Several of his sons took part in patriot efforts during the American Revolutionary War; Sampson Mathews (c. 1737–1807) and George Mathews (1739–1812) were members of the Augusta County Committee of Safety, which drafted the Augusta Resolves and the Augusta Declaration.^[10] In total, three of Mathews’ sons served as wartime Virginia legislators: Sampson Mathews and George Mathews from Augusta County and Archer Mathews (1744–c. 1790) from Greenbrier County.^{[11][12][13][14]} Additionally, Sampson Mathews was a lieutenant colonel of Virginia militia,^[15][16] and George Mathews was a brevet brigadier general in the Continental Army.^[17] George Mathews was later a U.S. House Representative to the First Congress and a governor of Georgia.^[18]

George Mathews' son George Mathews Jr. (1774–1836) was a judge of the Superior Courts of the territories of Mississippi and Orleans and as the presiding judge of the Louisiana Supreme Court.^[19] George Mathews Jr.'s brother, John Mathews (c.1762–1806), was a federal Supervisor of Revenue from Georgia.^[20] In Virginia, three more members of the family from the third generation served in the state legislature: Sampson Mathews' son Sampson Mathews Jr. from Bath County, and John Mathews (1768–1849) and James W. Mathews (d. 1825), grandsons of John Mathews through his son William Mathews (1741–1772), from Greenbrier County.^[21][22]

From the fourth generation, Mason Mathews (1803–1878), a grandson of William Mathews, served in the Virginia legislature from Greenbrier County. During the American Civil War, three of his sons served as Confederate States Army officers.^[23][5][24] His son Henry M. Mathews (1834–1884) later served as an attorney general and governor of West Virginia.^[25] Henry M. Mathews' son, William G. Mathews (1877–1923), was a federal judge in Kanawha, West Virginia and a candidate for the West Virginia Supreme Court.^[26] Mason M. Patrick (1863–1942), grandson of Mason Mathews, served as Chief of the U.S. Army Air Service, American Expeditionary Force during World War I and the Interwar Period.^[27][28] He authored the 1926 congressional bill that created the U.S. Army Air Corps from the Air Service, and served as its first chief.^[29]

Other relations include Thomas Posey (1750–1818), U.S. Senator from Louisiana;^[30] Peter J. Otey (1840–1902), U.S. House Representative from Virginia;^[31] and George Mathews Edgar (1837–1913), President of University of Arkansas.^[32]

A list of offices held by members of the Mathews family.

Other Mathews have played an important role in the public life of Virginia. Captain Samuel Matthews immigrated from England to Jamestown, Virginia around 1622, and his son Samuel Mathews (1630–1660) served as a commonwealth governor of Virginia.^[76]

Thomas Mathews (1742–1812), a speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, immigrated from Saint Kitts, West Indies, to the Piedmont region of Virginia in the years before the American Revolution. Both Samuel and Thomas Mathews have been connected to the Mathews of Virginia by some writers and historians,^[77][59][78] though the connection has not been noted by others.^[77][21][76]