Researching James Mathews

Mathews was born in the Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, where his father was regimental tailor, and spent seven years in Sri Lanka as a child when his father was deployed there. He was educated at Smith's school in South Melbourne and became a tailor. He joined the Progressive Political League, a forerunner of the Victorian branch of the Labor Party, in 1892. Mathews went to Sydney in 1893, and became secretary of the Woolloomooloo branch of the Labor Party in the same year; he also organised for the Tailors' Union while in Sydney. Mathews returned to Melbourne in 1898, and worked for the Collins St firm of Haig Bros. before going into business for himself; he was operating a tailoring business in South Melbourne opposite the South Melbourne Post Office at the time of his election. Prior to his election, Mathews also spent six years as the secretary of the South Melbourne branch of the Labor Party, remained involved in the Tailors' Union, and had made two unsuccessful candidacies for the City of South Melbourne council.

Mathews contested the 1903 federal election, but was defeated by incumbent Protectionist Samuel Mauger. Mauger moved to the new seat of Maribyrnong in 1906 and Mathews won the seat in his absence. He was then re-elected nine times, often running unopposed and never polling less than 65% of the primary vote. He was described The Courier-Mail upon his death as "a speaker of great force" and "an apt interjector" in the House. Mathews was always opposed to war and militarism, and campaigned against conscription in the bitter referendums of 1916 and 1917. In 1917, he was one of several political figures prosecuted under the War Precautions Act with having "made false statements of a kind likely to affect the judgment of the electors" in the referendum, but represented himself and was acquitted. Mathews was struggling with serious health issues by the mid-1920s, and retired due to ill health at the 1931 federal election.

He died in October 1934 and was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park.

Mathews attended the Yanco Agricultural College, before being signed by the Illawarra Steelers rugby league side in 1988 where he played until joining the Eastern Suburbs club in 1992. Mathews also headed the Roosters points scoring list that year. His career goal kicking average was 71.89%.

The promising young centre was killed in a car accident on 24 December 1992. The Sydney Roosters now name their Club Player of the year in his honour.

Mathews grew up in the Associate Reformed Church, and in 1807 he was licensed and subsequently ordained by its New York Presbytery. Upon his accepting a call from the South Dutch church and his consequent departure from the Associate Reformed communion, a question arose in the latter church regarding Mathews' finances, as he had been largely supported by church funds while a seminarian. The question was referred to General Synod, which unanimously ruled that in future cases comparable to Mathews', no minister should be permitted to depart until he had arranged for the repayment of the assistance that he had received from the church.

From 1840 until his death, Mathews held no pastorate, but was active in ecclesiastical affairs, devoted much time to the cause of education, and delivered a series of lectures to students. He was a founder of the University of New York, and its first chancellor, holding office in 1831-1839. He organized and presided over the Christian union council, which met in New York in 1870, and his exertions in its behalf hastened his death. He was in official life for more than fifty years, and was a successful teacher and preacher. He received the degree of D.D. from Yale in 1823. Dr. Mathews was the author of What is Your Life? (New York, 1840); The Bible and Men of Learning (1855); The Bible and Civil Government (1858); and Fifty Years in New York (1858). His daughters, Joanna H. and Julia, also wrote Sunday-school and juvenile books.