Sampson Mathews | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Silhouette of Sampson Mathews, 1756[1] | |
| Virginia State Senator from Augusta, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, and Pendleton counties | |
| In office 1776–1780, 1790 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1737 Augusta County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | January 20, 1807 (aged 70) Staunton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Lockhart Mary Warwick |
| Children | John Sampson II Two daughters Martha (guardian ad litem) |
| Parent(s) | John Mathews Ann Mathews |
| Relatives | Mathews family |
| Profession | Merchant, soldier, politician |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Great Britain United States |
| Branch/service | Virginia provincial militia Virginia militia |
| Years of service | 1755-1774 (colonial forces) 1778-1783 (U.S. forces) |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel of Virginia militia |
| Battles/wars | |
Sampson Mathews (c. 1737 – January 20, 1807) was an American merchant, soldier, and legislator in the colony (and later U.S. state) of Virginia.
A son of John and Ann (Archer) Mathews, Mathews was an early merchant in the Shenandoah Valley region, where he and his brother George Mathews ran a series of stores across the valley with contacts extending to Atlantic trade networks. Mathews also took part in the Indian Wars and colonial revolutionary efforts. He was a member of the Augusta County Committee of Safety that drafted the Augusta Resolves, a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, and the Augusta Declaration, a precursor to the Articles of Confederation.
Mathews was elected to the inaugural Virginia State Senate in 1776. During the American Revolution, he toured the western frontier to fortify the colonial border from Indian attacks, and oversaw sail manufacture for the Continental Navy's Virginia fleet. When turncoat Benedict Arnold enacted a surprise raid on Richmond in January 1781, Mathews led Virginia militia forces in defense.
Mathews was an original trustee of Liberty Hall (later Washington and Lee University), when it was made into a college in 1776. This is the nation's ninth-oldest institution of higher education. Mathews was a member of the Mathews political family, which saw numerous members take part in state and national affairs over successive generations.
- ^ Clem, Gladys (1965). It Happened Around Staunton in Virginia. Augusta County, Virginia: McClure Print Company. pp. 21–23. OCLC 3512763.