View XML QR Code

Mark A. Matthews papers, 1884-1978

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Matthews, Mark A. (Mark Allison), 1867-1940
Title
Mark A. Matthews papers
Dates
1884-1978 (inclusive)
Quantity
13.38 cubic feet (36 boxes)
Collection Number
0097, 2757
Summary
Papers of a Presbyterian minister who was active in Seattle, Washington, 1902-1940.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Mark Matthews was minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Seattle from 1902 until his death in 1940. During that time he had a significant role in Seattle's history.

Matthews's life reflects many of the currents and tensions that prevailed in America from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Second World War. He was deeply aware of the change in America from a rural orientation to an urban and industrialized one. Involved with the progressive movement, he found the implications of the First World War and the radical labor movement in Seattle threatening. In this context Matthews fought to make the Church a moving force within society and preserve his concept of religious orthodoxy. This led him to become a proponent of fundamentalism and an opponent of modernism within the Presbyterian church.

Born in Calhoun, Georgia, on September 24, 1867, Matthews received his formal education at the town's local academy. He was ordained there in 1887, and after brief ministries in Calhoun and Dalton, Georgia, he accepted a ministry in Jackson, Tennessee. Clearly part of the social gospel movement, Matthews attempted to adapt the church to urban conditions. During his years in Jackson, 1896-1901, he was instrumental in building a hospital, organizing a night school, and founding a local humane society. His work as an organizer and preacher earned him an honorary doctorate from Tennessee Normal University and soon after, a call to become minister to Seattle's First Presbyterian Church.

Matthews viewed himself as a progressive with the dual mission of expanding his church and rooting out the corruption prevalent in Seattle at that time. Membership in his congregation grew to ten thousand, the largest Presbyterian church in the world. At the same time, he waged active campaigns against Seattle mayors, police chiefs, business leaders, saloon keepers, and others whom he perceived as evil.

By 1912 Matthews had been elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. This led to a close association with Woodrow Wilson, and Matthews became a frequent guest at the White House. As Wilson's devoted follower, Matthews began to consider opponents of Wilson as well as Seattle's radical labor leaders in the International Woodworkers of the World grave threats to the security of the nation. Consequently he became increasingly conservative, calling for restriction of immigration and repressive measures in the context of the red scare of the 1920s, and increasingly strident in his support for such issues as Prohibition, fundamentalism, and William Jennings Bryan's crusade against the teaching of evolution. Strongly opinionated, Matthews made many enemies, but he also had thousands of devoted followers. While his theology was relatively simple, his life reveals the complexity of forces working in America as this Southerner in the Pacific Northwest attempted to lead Seattle to his own particular vision of righteousness.

Return to Top

Content Description

The papers include correspondence, sermons, scrapbooks, clippings, genealogical materials, and reports. Correspondence includes Matthews's extensive correspondence with Woodrow Wilson between 1913 and 1921, materials documenting Matthews's use of the Burns Detective Agency in ascertaining the "moral condition" of Seattle during the years 1911 to 1916, and his correspondence with William Short relating to unions. Also included is Matthews's correspondence with his son, Mark Matthews, Jr., from 1924 to 1940. Matthews's writings include an almost complete collection of his sermonettes and a miscellaneous assortment of sermons, sermon notes, speeches, and other writings. The Presbyterian Hospital papers contain limited documentation of Matthews's years as president of the Presbyterian Hospital and Sanitarium in Jackson, Tennessee.

Additional correspondents include Wesley Livsey Jones, James Theodore Ronald, William Gibbs McAdoo, Clarence C. Dill, J. Edgar Hoover, Clarence D. Martin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Organizations represented in the papers include the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle; the Presbyterian Hospital of Jackson, Tennessee; and the King County Medical Society Hospital Committee.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Two volumes of the scrapbooks included in Accession No. 0097-002 have been copied to 1 microfilm reel (negative). The microfilm forms Accession No. 2757-001.

Restrictions on Use

The creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 4 accessions:

  • Accession No. 0097-002
  • Accession No. 0097-003
  • Accession No. 0097-004
  • Accession No. 2757-001

Custodial History

After his death, many of Matthews's files were destroyed. Those that were kept were moved to California by his family. Most of the bound sermons were deposited at the University of California by Mrs. James Rice in April 1960. In 1979 the papers were transferred from California to the University of Washington Library's Special Collections Division.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Clergy--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Clergy--Washington (State)--Seattle--Correspondence
  • Fundamentalists--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Hospital administrators--Tennessee--Archives
  • Municipal government--Corrupt practices--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Presbyterian Church--Missions--Alaska--Metlakatla
  • Presbyterian Church--Tennessee--Clergy--Archives
  • Presbyterian Church--United States--Clergy
  • Presbyterian Church--Washington (State)--Seattle--Clergy--Archives
  • Presbyterian Church--Washington (State)--Seattle--Sermons
  • Presbyterians--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Presidents--United States--Correspondence

Personal Names

  • Dill, Clarence C. (Clarence Cleveland), 1884-
  • Hoover, J. Edgar (John Edgar), 1895-1972
  • Jones, Wesley Livsey, 1863-1932
  • Martin, Clarence D. (Clarence Daniel), 1886-1955
  • Matthews, Mark A. (Mark Allison), 1867-1940--Archives
  • Matthews, Mark A. (Mark Allison), 1867-1940--Sermons
  • McAdoo, William Gibbs, 1863-1941
  • Ronald, James Theodore, 1855-
  • Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
  • Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence

Corporate Names

  • First Presbyterian Church (Seattle, Wash.)
  • King County Medical Society (Seattle, Wash.). Hospital Committee
  • Presbyterian Hospital (Jackson, Tenn.)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Moral conditions
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government--20th century
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Religious life and customs


2006 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...