Stanley Matthews, Prominent Lawyer and Justice, Dies at 85
Stanley Matthews, a prominent lawyer, justice, and Republican politician, has passed away in Washington, DC. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Matthews dedicated his life to the rule of law, notably serving as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Matthews' commitment to justice began early. Born in Cincinnati, he spent his youth in Lexington, Kentucky, where his father was a mathematics professor. He studied at Kenyon College, where he met future US President Rutherford B. Hayes. Matthews' anti-slavery principles led him to edit the abolitionist Cincinnati Herald after Gamaliel Bailey.
As a lawyer, Matthews prosecuted newsman W. B. Connelly for violating the Federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, despite local unpopularity. During the Civil War, he volunteered and rose to colonel of the Fifty-first Ohio Volunteers. Matthews' legal career culminated in his appointment to the Supreme Court by President Hayes in 1880. However, his term effectively ended due to Senate inaction.
As a Supreme Court Justice, Matthews wrote the unanimous opinion in Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), ruling in favor of Chinese laundromat owners discriminated against by San Francisco's ordinance. Matthews' principles led him to resign as a Presbyterian elder in 1869 when he agreed to counsel for the Cincinnati Board of Education in an unpopular case.
Stanley Matthews, a man of strong principles and dedication to justice, has left a lasting impact on American law. Despite his Supreme Court appointment ending prematurely, his rulings, including Yick Wo v. Hopkins, continue to influence legal precedent. Matthews was laid to rest in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery.
