William Matthews (priest)

The Very Reverend William Matthews
Engraving of William Matthews by George Parker, 1868
7th President of Georgetown College
In office February 28, 1809 – November 1, 1809
Preceded by	Francis Neale
Succeeded by	Francis Neale
Personal details
Born	(1770-12-16)December 16, 1770 Port Tobacco, Maryland Colony, British America
Died	April 30, 1854(1854-04-30) (aged 83) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Mount Olivet Cemetery
Relations	Ann Teresa Mathews (sister)
Alma mater	College of St Omer Georgetown College St. Mary's Seminary
Political party	Federalist Party, Whig Party
Orders
Ordination	March 29, 1800 by John Carroll

William Matthews (December 16, 1770 – April 30, 1854), occasionally spelled Mathews,^[a] was an American who became the fifth Roman Catholic priest ordained in the United States and the first such person born in British America. Born in the colonial Province of Maryland, he was briefly a novice in the Society of Jesus. After being ordained, he became influential in establishing Catholic parochial and educational institutions in Washington, D.C. He was the second pastor of St. Patrick's Church, serving for most of his life. He served as the sixth president of Georgetown College, later known as Georgetown University. Matthews acted as president of the Washington Catholic Seminary, which became Gonzaga College High School, and oversaw the continuity of the school during suppression by the church and financial insecurity.

Matthews was vicar apostolic and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Philadelphia during a period of ecclesiastical turmoil. He was a co-founder and president of the Washington Library Company for thirteen years—the first public library in the District of Columbia. He also was co-director and trustee of the District of Columbia Public Schools, where he was one of the superintendents of a school. He played a significant role in the founding of Washington Visitation Academy for girls, St. Peter's Church on Capitol Hill, and the parish that now includes the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.

Matthews was involved in Catholic charitable organizations as well; he was the founder and president of St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum and the co-founder and president of St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum.

He was born into a prominent Maryland family and became a close adviser to Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States. He became well connected with the capital's political elite, and was chosen to preside over the first Catholic ceremony in the White House, and the only Catholic wedding in its history. He believed that because Catholics enjoyed the freedom to practice their religion in the United States under the Constitution, they had a duty to contribute to the "moral and physical good" of their communities. He staunchly opposed slavery. For his contributions to religious and civic life, Matthews was informally known as the "patriarch of Washington."

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