Matthew Quay

Matthew Quay
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office January 16, 1901 – May 28, 1904
Preceded by	Vacant
Succeeded by	Philander C. Knox
In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1899
Preceded by	John I. Mitchell
Succeeded by	Vacant
Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office July 1888 – July 1891
Preceded by	Benjamin Jones[1]
Succeeded by	James Clarkson[2]
State offices Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania[3] In office January 30, 1879 – November 3, 1882 Governor Henry M. Hoyt Preceded by John Blair Linn Succeeded by Francis Jordan In office January 22, 1873 – May 2, 1878 Governor John F. Hartranft Preceded by Francis Jordan Succeeded by John Blair Linn 39th Treasurer of Pennsylvania[3] In office 1886–1887 Governor Robert E. Pattison James A. Beaver Preceded by William Livsey Succeeded by William Livsey Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Beaver and Washington counties In office 1865–1868 Preceded by Isaiah White (as member for Beaver and Lawrence counties) Succeeded by Thomas Nicholson Recorder of Philadelphia In office 1878–1879 Preceded by Office created Succeeded by David H. Lane Prothonotary of Beaver County In office 1856–1861 Preceded by A. R. Thomson Succeeded by Michael Weyand
Personal details
Born	Matthew Stanley Quay (1833-09-30)September 30, 1833 Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 28, 1904(1904-05-28) (aged 70) Beaver, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Agnes Barclay ​ (m. 1855)​
Children	5
Education	Washington and Jefferson College (BA)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1861–1862
Rank	Colonel
Unit	134th Pennsylvania Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg
Awards	Medal of Honor

Matthew Stanley Quay (/kweɪ/; September 30, 1833 – May 28, 1904) was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until his death in 1904. Quay's control of the Pennsylvania Republican political machine made him one of the most powerful and influential politicians in the country, and he ruled Pennsylvania politics for almost twenty years. As chair of the Republican National Committee and thus party campaign manager, he helped elect Benjamin Harrison as president in 1888 despite Harrison not winning the popular vote. He was also instrumental in the 1900 election of Theodore Roosevelt as vice president.

Quay studied law and began his career in public office by becoming prothonotary of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in 1856. He became personal secretary to Governor Andrew Curtin in 1861 after campaigning for him the previous year. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army, commanding the 134th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment as a colonel. Quay received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Fredericksburg. He acted as Pennsylvania's military agent in Washington before returning to Harrisburg to assist Curtin and aid in his re-election in 1863. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1865 to 1868.

Beginning in 1867, Quay became increasingly aligned with the political machine run by Senator Simon Cameron, and, by 1880, was the chief lieutenant of Cameron and his son and successor Don. He continued to serve in public office, as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Philadelphia County Recorder, and Pennsylvania Treasurer. The last, to which he was elected in 1885, gave him enough power to eclipse Don Cameron as Pennsylvania's Republican political boss, and put him in position to run for the Senate. He served there from 1887 to 1899, and then from 1901 until his death in 1904. There, he strongly advocated for Pennsylvania's economic interests, paying little mind to matters that did not affect his home state.

At the height of his career, Quay influenced appointments to thousands of state and federal positions in Pennsylvania, the occupants of which had to help finance the machine. Opponents within the Pennsylvania Republican Party, such as merchant John Wanamaker, contested his rule from time to time, usually unsuccessfully, though they did block his election to a third term in the Senate for two years, causing the 1899 legislative election for senator to end with no one chosen. Increasingly in poor health, he took on few new battles in his final years. After Quay's death, his political machine was taken over by his fellow Pennsylvania senator, Boies Penrose, who continued to run it until his own death in 1921.