Matthews, Donald R. 1925-2007 (Donald Rowe Matthews)

views updated

Matthews, Donald R. 1925-2007 (Donald Rowe Matthews)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born September 14, 1925, in Cincinnati, OH; died of emphysema, November 3, 2007, in Seattle, WA. Political scientist, political analyst, educator, and author. After an academic career that began at Smith College in 1951, Matthews made his way south to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he taught from 1957 to 1970. Then he moved westward, via the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of Michigan, to Seattle, where he joined the faculty of the University of Washington in 1976. He was a professor of political science there for nearly twenty years, retiring in 1995. Matthews seemed to be as interested in political people as he was in political science. His earliest books were The Social Background of Political Decision-Makers (1954) and U.S. Senators and Their World (1960), which was recommended by no less a political figure than former senator and president Lyndon B. Johnson. Matthews was also interested in the role of African Americans in southern politics and served as a consultant to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. His other writings include Yeas and Nays: Normal Decision-Making in the U.S. House of Representatives (1975). He edited Perspectives on Presidential Selection (1973) and The Party's Choice (1975).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Washington Post, November 9, 2007, p. B7.

More From encyclopedia.com