Donald Ray Matthews
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Donald Ray Matthews | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 8th district | |
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1967 | |
Preceded by | District created |
Succeeded by | William C. Cramer |
Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
In office 1935 | |
Personal details | |
Born | October 3, 1907 Micanopy, Florida |
Died | October 26, 1997 Gainesville | (aged 90)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Mary Matthews |
Donald Ray "Billy" Matthews (October 3, 1907 – October 26, 1997) was a U.S. Representative from Florida.
Born in Micanopy, Florida, Matthews attended the public schools of Hawthorne, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1929. He taught school in Leesburg, Florida, and in Orlando, Florida from 1929 to 1935. He served as a high school principal in Newberry, Florida in 1935 and 1936. He served as a member of the State house of representatives in 1935. He served as a member of the administrative staff of the University of Florida from 1936 to 1952. He served in the United States Army 1942–1946 and was discharged as a captain of Infantry. He served as assistant State 4-H agent in the summers of 1928–1938.
Matthews was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-third and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1967), during which time he was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninetieth Congress in 1966, defeated in the Democratic primary by Don Fuqua.
In his post-congressional years, Matthews worked as a consultant and administrator for the Rural Community Development Service of the United States Department of Agriculture from 1967 to 1969; and was an instructor of political science at Santa Fe Community College (Gainesville, Florida) from 1969 to 1977. He was a resident of Gainesville, Florida until his death at the age of 90. He was interred at Hawthorne Cemetery.
References[edit]
- United States Congress. "Donald Ray Matthews (id: M000253)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by District created |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 8th congressional district 1953-1967 |
Succeeded by William C. Cramer |
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
- 1907 births
- 1997 deaths
- 20th-century American politicians
- American school principals
- American schoolteachers
- Educators from Florida
- Florida Democrats
- Guggenheim Fellows
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
- Military personnel from Florida
- People from Gainesville, Florida
- People from Micanopy, Florida
- United States Army officers
- University of Florida alumni
- University of Florida faculty
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives