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Biography
Thomas Mathews (1742–1812) was an American Revolutionary War general and Virginia politician. He represented Norfolk Borough in the Virginia House of Delegates, and served as that body's Speaker from 1782 until 1793.
Thomas Mathews was born c. 1742 on Saint Kitts, an island of the West Indies. He was appointed brigadier general in the Virginia militia in 1776, and led a company to the Battle of Great Bridge, and later to the Battle of Yorktown. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in post-war years and after serving in house for several years was elected its Speaker in 1782, remaining as such through the 1793 legislation. He was afterward a candidate for the governorship of Virginia, but he withdrew his nomination.
He was a mason, and in 1790 was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. He served as grand master until 1793, at which point the office was passed to John Marshall.
Mathews County, Virginia was named for him.