George Mathews (soldier)

George Mathews
1896 illustration of George Mathews.[1]
Governor of Georgia
In office November 7, 1793 – January 15, 1796
Preceded by	Edward Telfair
Succeeded by	Jared Irwin
Member of the U. S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Francis Willis
Governor of Georgia
In office January 9, 1787 – January 26, 1788
Preceded by	Edward Telfair
Succeeded by	George Handley
Georgia General Assembly
Virginia House of Burgesses
In office Did not convene
Preceded by	Charles Lewis
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	(1739-08-30)August 30, 1739 Augusta County, Virginia Colony, British America
Died	August 30, 1812(1812-08-30) (aged 73) Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Resting place	St. Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery
Political party	Federalist
Spouses	Anne Polly Paul Margaret Reed Mary Carpenter
Relations	Mathews family
Residence(s)	Goose Pond Plantation, Wilkes County, Georgia
Profession	Planter, politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain United States
Branch/service	Virginia militia Continental Army United States Army
Years of service	Militia: 1774 Continental Army: 1775–1783 U.S. Army: 1810–1812
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	Dunmore's War Battle of Point Pleasant American Revolutionary War Battle of Brandywine Battle of Germantown Seminole Wars Patriot War of East Florida

George Mathews (August 30, 1739 – August 30, 1812) was an American soldier and politician from the U.S. States of Virginia and Georgia. He was a brevet brigadier general in the Continental Army, the 20th and 24th Governor of Georgia, a U.S. Representative from Georgia, and the leading participant in the Patriot War of East Florida.

Born in Augusta County in the Virginia Colony, Mathews was in early life a merchant and planter. As an officer in the colonial militia, he gained statewide fame for his role in the Battle of Point Pleasant of Dunmore's War. He was afterward elected to the House of Burgesses from Augusta County, but did not attend a session. On the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, he served as colonel of the 9th Virginia Regiment in the Continental Army. He and his entire regiment were captured on October 4, 1777, in the Battle of Germantown. Mathews spent the next four years as a prisoner of war, including two years on a British prison ship. He was brevetted brigadier general at the end of the war.

After the war, Mathews moved to the state of Georgia and was quickly elected governor of the state. He served two nonconsecutive terms, voted to ratify the United States Constitution, and served in the 1st United States Congress. His second term as governor was overshadowed by his involvement in the Yazoo Land Fraud, which led to his political downfall.

Mathews relocated to the Mississippi Territory and in 1810 was sent as a secret agent by President James Madison to annex the Spanish territory of East Florida for the United States. Mathews was unable to claim the territory peacefully, so he created an insurrectionist force that captured Ferninanda Beach and Amelia Island and turned them over to the U.S. This act, now referred to as the Patriot War of East Florida, was denounced by Spain and its allies. Madison, under political pressure, disavowed Mathews's actions. The vagueness of Madison's instructions to Mathews have led to significant debate among historians as to whether Mathews acted outside of the purview of his mandate.