Representative Donald Ray Matthews

Donald Ray “Billy” Matthews (October 3, 1907 – October 26, 1997) was an American educator, World War II veteran, and Democratic politician who served seven terms as a U.S. Representative from Florida from 1953 to 1967. Over the course of his congressional career, he represented his constituents during a significant period in American history, participating actively in the legislative process and contributing to national debates in the mid-twentieth century.

Matthews was born in Micanopy, Alachua County, Florida, on October 3, 1907, and was raised in nearby Hawthorne, where he attended the public schools. His early life in rural north-central Florida shaped his later interest in agricultural issues and community development. After completing his primary and secondary education in Hawthorne, he pursued higher education at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

In 1929, Matthews graduated from the University of Florida at Gainesville. Immediately after graduation, he embarked on a career in education, teaching school in Leesburg and Orlando, Florida, from 1929 to 1935. He advanced quickly in educational administration, serving as principal of the high school in Newberry, Florida, in 1935 and 1936. Alongside his teaching and administrative duties, he worked extensively with youth and agricultural programs, serving as an assistant state 4‑H agent during the summers from 1928 to 1938, a role that further deepened his involvement in rural and agricultural affairs.

Matthews entered public service in state government while still engaged in education. He served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 1935, gaining early legislative experience at the state level. In 1936 he joined the administrative staff of the University of Florida, where he remained from 1936 to 1952. In this capacity he was involved in university administration and extension activities, helping to manage programs that linked the university’s resources to communities throughout Florida.

During World War II, Matthews served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. He was commissioned in the Infantry and rose to the rank of captain before his discharge. His military service during the global conflict added to his public profile and provided him with leadership experience that he later carried into his political career.

Matthews was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-third Congress and to the six succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1953, to January 3, 1967. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida, he participated in the democratic process during a transformative era in American politics, including the Cold War and the civil rights movement. He was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto, which opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, aligning him with a bloc of Southern legislators resisting federal civil rights mandates. Over his seven terms, he worked on legislation affecting his district and state, representing the interests of his constituents in Congress. In 1966, he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination to the Ninetieth Congress, losing the Democratic primary to Don Fuqua, which brought his congressional service to a close on January 3, 1967.

Following his departure from Congress, Matthews continued his involvement in public service and education. From 1967 to 1969, he served as a consultant and administrator for the Rural Community Development Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, drawing on his long-standing interest in rural affairs and community improvement. He then returned to the academic environment in Gainesville, becoming an instructor of political science at Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College) from 1969 to 1977, where he taught courses that reflected his extensive experience in government and politics.

Matthews remained a resident of Gainesville, Florida, in his later years. He died on October 26, 1997, at the age of 90. He was interred at Hawthorne Cemetery in Hawthorne, Florida, near the community where he had grown up and first attended public school.