Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/233

Rh MASON, William Ernest, senator, b. in Prank- linville, N. Y., 7 July, 1850. In 1858 he went with his family to Iowa, and in 1865 was in his second year at Birmingham college, wlien his father died, throwing the lx)y on his own re- sources. Ue taught till 1870, then studied law, and in 1877 entered partnership with Judge M. K. M. Wallace. Later he formed the firm of Mason, Ennis & Bates, of which he is still a member. Mr. Mason early entered politics as a Kepublican. serving in the general assembly, and in 1882 was sent to the Illinois senate. In 1888 he was elected to congress, where he served till he was chosen to the L'. .S senate in 1896. Mr. Mason is an eiTective speaker, and did good work for his party in the canvasses of 1888 and 1890. His term of servic-e will continue until March, 1903.

MATCHETT, Charles Horatio, electrician, b. in Xeedham. Mass.. 15 May. 1843. lie studied in the public schools and in the Boston high-school, and then spent four years as a sailor, serving in the U. S. navy in 1861-'2. lie then engaged in business in Chicago, kept a shop in Boston, worked in a shoe factory, at the carpenter's trade, and in 1886 entered into the employment of the New Jer- sey telephone company. He was prominent in the Knights of labor movement, and since 1885 has taken an active part in the iSocialist-Labor party, lieing nominated for inavorof Brooklyn, governor of New York, vice-president of the United States, and in July, 1896, for president, with Matthew -Maguire a.s candidate for vice-president.

MATTHEWS, Claude, politician, b. in Bath county, Ky., 14 Doc, 1845. He studied at Centre college. Danville, from which he was graduated in June, 1867. in 1868 he renioveil to Vermilion connty, Ind.. where ho had a farm of 2.000 acres. In 1876 he was nominated by the Democrats as a member of the legislature: he was elected in a Ke- publican district by a majority of 300. In 1890 he was electe<l secretary of state on the Democratic ticket by the largest majority any Democrat had received in Indiana since the civil war. He was nominated an<l elected governor of the state in 1882. His administration was beset with many difUculties: the race-track gamblers at Roby, the labor riots, the invasion of Coxey's army, and a hostile Itepnblican majority in the legislature — all combined to hamper and embarrass him ; his ad- ministration was regarded so favorably, however, that he was the unanimous choice for president of thedelegation from Indiana tothe national Demo- cratic convenlicm at Chicago in 189(5. Gov. Mat- thews is a practical farmer ami deeply interested in the bncdiiig of inij)rnved live-slocK.

MATTHEWS, Edmund Orville, naval oflicer, b. in Baltimore, Md., 24 Oct., 1836. He was ap- pointed to the tnival academyfrom Missouri. gradu- ating in 18.'>5. and was as.signed to the frigate " Po- tomac." His next duty was on the sloops "Sara- toga" and "Macedonian." of the .Mediterranean squadron. He liecame master in 18,58. and was commissioned lieutenant, July, 1860. He was on duty at the naval academy, and in .April, 1861, as- signed to the steam-frigate " Wabash," assisting in the capture of the Confederate forts at Hatteras in- let, lie was commissioned lieutenant-commander, 16 July, 1862. commanding the "Sonoma," in the South Atlantic sfpuidron, from June, 1K64. to July, 1865. He was on the staff of Admiral Dahlgren, and was on duty at the naval aca<Iemy from No- vemlier, 1865, to June, 1869; then head of torpedo corps until July, 1873: selected and built up sta- tion at Newjmrt. He was promoted in May. 1870, commanding the'" Ashuelot," Asiatic station, 1873- '7, and was inspector of ordnance at the navy-yard at New York, 1878-'81. He was promoted to cap- tain in September. 1881. and was in command of the " Powhatan " on special service, August, 1881, to February, 188.1. commanding the " Brooklyn." Asiatic station, 1885-"7, and the navy-yard. Boston, ]887-'90. He was promoted to commodore. July, 1894. to rear-admiral, 19 June, 1898, and appointed president of the examining board,

'''MATTHEWS. Samuel,''' colonial governor of Virginia, b. in England probably before 1600; d. in Virginia in January, 1659. He came from a good family in England. having married a daugh- ter of Sir Thomas Hinton by his first wife. In 1622 he arrived at Virginia in the ship "South- ampton." Eventually he laid out his plantation at Blount Point, above Newport News, and he came to lie esteemed one of the richest men in the col- ony. Soon after his arrival he began to take the active interest in affairs which he manifested until his death. In 1623 he was appointed leader of an expe<iition against the Tanx Powhatan Indians, anil in the same year he was appointe<l by the privy council one of the commissioners, with John Harvey, John Pory, Abraham Peirsev, to report on the government of the colony. He was also named, in 1624-',5, in the second connnission ap- pointed by King James In his effort to destroy the charter of the coloin-. In 1625 he was named a councillor cnder Sir Francis Wyatt, in 162.5-'6, under Sir George Yardley, in 1630 under John Harvey, in 16.52 under Uichard Bennet, and in 16,55 under Edward Digges. In the autumn of 1630 he led an expedition of two hundred men to search for gold beyond the falls of the James, but he returned without success. In JIarch. 1032. he was ap|)ointed justice of the monthly court for Warwick. About this time began the troubles between Virginia and Lord Baltimore in Mary- land, and in the opposition Matthews took a f)rominent part, being described by Harvey in a etter of 16 Dec, 1634, as "the patron of disor- der." He wa-s one of the leaders also in the op- position to Harvey, and in consequence of this opposition he, with John West and William Pierce, by an order in council of 22 Dec, 1635, were or- dered to be sent to England to answer for their conduct. They went and remained several months. Under the commonwealth he was sent to England in 1652 to obtain a ratification of the articles of agreement between Virginia and the commission- ers that had lK>en sentover by jiarliament. While still in England, in December, 16.56, he was elected by the Virginia burgesses successor to Edward tiigges. in view of the Contemplated visit of the lat- ter to liondon. and in November, 1657, before his return to Virginia, he signed, as commissioner for the colony, the articles of agreement with Lord Baltimore that, it was hoped, would settle the dif- ferences between the two colonies. Soon after this he returned. He was elected governor, 13 March. 1657, and was re-elected until his death in 1659. His election was the third held under the com- monwealth. His term was marked by one impor- tjint incident in the constitutional history of the colony. Before 16,58 the governor and council ha<l iieen admitted to seats with the burgesses, but in that year the burgesses e.Ncluded them by formal vote. Gov. Matthews thereupon dissolved the assembly in April, 16.58. The a.ssembly refused to disperse, declared itself still a house, and pledged its members to secrecy. On the next day the governor made the concession of an offer to submit to Cromwell the (juestion in dispute on condition that the public business before the as-