Harlan Mathews
Encyclopedia
Harlan Mathews was a Democratic United States Senator
from Tennessee
from 1993 to 1994.
. He graduated from Jacksonville State College (now Jacksonville State University
) with a B.A. degree in 1949 and subsequently obtained a master's degree
in public administration from Vanderbilt University
.
Mathews joined Tennessee state government in 1950, becoming part of the staff of the governor of Tennessee, successively serving governors Gordon Browning
, Frank G. Clement
, and Buford Ellington
. In 1961 he was named to the Cabinet as Commissioner of Finance and Administration, a position he held until 1971. In 1962, he graduated from the YMCA
Night Law School
, now Nashville School of Law
.
With the accession to office of Republican
Winfield Dunn
in January 1971, Mathews left the Cabinet and entered the private sector for two years, working for Amcon International in Memphis
. In 1973 he became the legislative assistant to the longtime Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Bill Snodgrass
. In 1974 he was elected State Treasurer by the Tennessee General Assembly
when his predecessor, Tom Wiseman
, resigned to run for governor. The Tennessee General Assembly
elected him to his first full two-year term as treasurer in 1975, and he served in this office until January 1987, when he became deputy to the newly-elected governor, Ned R. McWherter
.
Mathews served as deputy governor until January 1993. Al Gore
, who had been Tennessee's junior Senator since 1985, was elected Vice President of the United States
as Bill Clinton
's running mate in November 1992, and resigned his position as Senator in preparation for his inauguration as Vice President on January 20, 1993. McWherter then appointed his deputy as Gore's successor in the Senate.
From the beginning, it was understood that Mathews' role in the Senate would be one of caretaker; he had no ambition of running for election to the Senate. The appointment served two purposes; firstly, to reward a longtime government insider who had served his state and his party faithfully for many years, largely out of view of the general public, and secondly, to allow McWherter to remain above the fray in the scramble to succeed Gore in the Senate and not identify himself with any particular party faction.
Mathews' service in the Senate was of a decidedly low-key nature; he largely supported the Democratic agenda of President
Clinton and the then-majority in the Senate. The passion for the contest for the Democratic senatorial nomination to succeed him was quelled somewhat when it became apparent that the Republican nominee would be attorney
and prominent actor
Fred Thompson. The highest-profile Democrat to enter the primary
was Representative
Jim Cooper
, who was the eventual nominee and lost to Thompson in a landslide.
Thompson was sworn in to office in December 1994 in order to give him a slight advantage in seniority over other Senators elected in that year, as is traditionally done when someone is elected to the balance of an unexpired term. Mathews left office as quietly as he had served in it and currently practices law in Nashville, Tennessee
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1993 to 1994.
Biography
Mathews is a native of Walker County, AlabamaWalker County, Alabama
Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate. As of 2010 the population was 67,023...
. He graduated from Jacksonville State College (now Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and...
) with a B.A. degree in 1949 and subsequently obtained a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in public administration from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
.
Mathews joined Tennessee state government in 1950, becoming part of the staff of the governor of Tennessee, successively serving governors Gordon Browning
Gordon Browning
Gordon Weaver Browning was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States Congress and was later Governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1949 to 1953.-Biography:...
, Frank G. Clement
Frank G. Clement
Frank Goad Clement served as Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967.-Early life:...
, and Buford Ellington
Buford Ellington
Earl Buford Ellington , a native of Mississippi, was the 42nd Governor of Tennessee from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1967 until 1971....
. In 1961 he was named to the Cabinet as Commissioner of Finance and Administration, a position he held until 1971. In 1962, he graduated from the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Night Law School
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
, now Nashville School of Law
Nashville School of Law
The Nashville School of Law, , is a private, night law school specializing in legal education for non-traditional, part-time, working professionals and others seeking a legal education...
.
With the accession to office of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Winfield Dunn
Winfield Dunn
Bryant Winfield Culberson Dunn was the 43rd Governor of Tennessee, from 1971 to 1975.-Biography:Dunn was born in Meridian, Mississippi. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1950 with a B.B.A., and from the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis in 1955 with a D.D.S. Dunn...
in January 1971, Mathews left the Cabinet and entered the private sector for two years, working for Amcon International in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. In 1973 he became the legislative assistant to the longtime Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Bill Snodgrass
William R. Snodgrass
William Ramsey Snodgrass, Sr. was a former Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.-Biography:Snodgrass was born in 1922 in White County. He graduated from David Lipscomb College in 1942. He served in the military during World War II, serving from 1943 until 1946...
. In 1974 he was elected State Treasurer by the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
when his predecessor, Tom Wiseman
Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr.
Thomas Anderton Wiseman, Jr. is an American jurist and Senior United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee....
, resigned to run for governor. The Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
elected him to his first full two-year term as treasurer in 1975, and he served in this office until January 1987, when he became deputy to the newly-elected governor, Ned R. McWherter
Ned McWherter
Ned Ray McWherter was an American politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee from 1987 to 1995. He was a Democrat.McWherter was born in Palmersville, Weakley County, Tennessee...
.
Mathews served as deputy governor until January 1993. Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, who had been Tennessee's junior Senator since 1985, was elected Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
as Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's running mate in November 1992, and resigned his position as Senator in preparation for his inauguration as Vice President on January 20, 1993. McWherter then appointed his deputy as Gore's successor in the Senate.
From the beginning, it was understood that Mathews' role in the Senate would be one of caretaker; he had no ambition of running for election to the Senate. The appointment served two purposes; firstly, to reward a longtime government insider who had served his state and his party faithfully for many years, largely out of view of the general public, and secondly, to allow McWherter to remain above the fray in the scramble to succeed Gore in the Senate and not identify himself with any particular party faction.
Mathews' service in the Senate was of a decidedly low-key nature; he largely supported the Democratic agenda of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Clinton and the then-majority in the Senate. The passion for the contest for the Democratic senatorial nomination to succeed him was quelled somewhat when it became apparent that the Republican nominee would be attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and prominent actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Fred Thompson. The highest-profile Democrat to enter the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
was Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Jim Cooper
Jim Cooper
James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995....
, who was the eventual nominee and lost to Thompson in a landslide.
Thompson was sworn in to office in December 1994 in order to give him a slight advantage in seniority over other Senators elected in that year, as is traditionally done when someone is elected to the balance of an unexpired term. Mathews left office as quietly as he had served in it and currently practices law in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.