Sampson Mathews

Sampson Mathews
Silhouette of Sampson Mathews, 1756[1]
Virginia State Senator from Augusta, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, and Pendleton counties
In office 1776–1780, 1790
Personal details
Born	c. 1737 Augusta County, Virginia, British America
Died	January 20, 1807 (aged 70) Staunton, Virginia, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Mary Lockhart Mary Warwick
Children	John Sampson II Two daughters Martha (guardian ad litem)
Parent(s)	John Mathews Ann Mathews
Relatives	Mathews family
Profession	Merchant, soldier, politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain United States
Branch/service	Virginia provincial militia Virginia militia
Years of service	1755-1774 (colonial forces) 1778-1783 (U.S. forces)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel of Virginia militia
Battles/wars	French and Indian War Braddock Expedition Lord Dunmore's War Battle of Point Pleasant American Revolutionary War Raid of Richmond Battle of Green Spring Siege of Yorktown

Sampson Mathews (c. 1737 – January 20, 1807) was an American merchant, soldier, and legislator in the colony (and later U.S. state) of Virginia.

A son of John and Ann (Archer) Mathews, Mathews was an early merchant in the Shenandoah Valley region, where he and his brother George Mathews ran a series of stores across the valley with contacts extending to Atlantic trade networks. Mathews also took part in the Indian Wars and colonial revolutionary efforts. He was a member of the Augusta County Committee of Safety that drafted the Augusta Resolves, a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, and the Augusta Declaration, a precursor to the Articles of Confederation.

Mathews was elected to the inaugural Virginia State Senate in 1776. During the American Revolution, he toured the western frontier to fortify the colonial border from Indian attacks, and oversaw sail manufacture for the Continental Navy's Virginia fleet. When turncoat Benedict Arnold enacted a surprise raid on Richmond in January 1781, Mathews led Virginia militia forces in defense.

Mathews was an original trustee of Liberty Hall (later Washington and Lee University), when it was made into a college in 1776. This is the nation's ninth-oldest institution of higher education. Mathews was a member of the Mathews political family, which saw numerous members take part in state and national affairs over successive generations.