STANLEY MATTHEWS was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 21, 1824. After graduation from Kenyon College in 1840, he read law in Cincinnati. He moved to Maury County, Tennessee, and was admitted to the bar at the age of eighteen. Two years later, Matthews returned to Cincinnati, where he was appointed Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Hamilton County. From 1851 to 1853, he served as a Judge of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. Matthews was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1855, and in 1858 he was appointed United States Attorney for Southern Ohio. Matthews served as a volunteer in the Union Army during the Civil War but resigned his commission in 1863 when he was elected a Judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati. Two years later, he returned to private practice. In 1877, he served as Counsel to the Hayes-Tilden Electoral Commission, and later that year, he was appointed United States Senator from Ohio to fill a vacancy. President Rutherford B. Hayes nominated Matthews to the Supreme Court of the United States on January 26, 1881, but the Senate took no action on his confirmation. Renominated by President James A. Garfield on March 14, 1881, Matthews was confirmed by the Senate on May 12, 1881. Matthews died on March 22, 1889, at the age of sixty-four.
Members support the Society’s efforts to increase awareness of the Court’s contributions to our nation’s constitutional heritage. Benefits include: Court history publications, special event invitations, discounts.
SCHS sponsored events cover Supreme Court history themes, from early landmark figures and cases such as McCullough, to civics, labor, women’s rights, immigration, Constitutional controversies.
Documentaries covering landmark points on the timeline of Supreme Court history, including: FDR’s court packing controversy, the contested 1876 election + John Marshall & Marbury v. Madison.
Visit the Supreme Court Historical Society’s CIVICS website to learn about the history and cases of the Supreme Court of the United States and gain insights into key figures associated with the Court.
A timeline of Supreme Court history, including the Marshall and Warren Courts + landmark cases: West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, and significant rulings in women’s rights court cases.