Francis P. Matthews
Francis Patrick Matthews (born March 15, 1887 in Albion , Boone County , Nebraska , † October 18, 1952 in Omaha , Nebraska) was an American administrative lawyer and politician ( Democratic Party ), who served as Secretary of State for the United States from 1949 to 1951 officiated.
Francis Matthews spent most of his life in Omaha. He graduated from Creighton University there in 1913, after which he began to practice as a lawyer in Nebraska. He engaged in numerous business, civic, and religious activities; he was a member of the Columbus Knights , which he chaired as Supreme Knight from 1939 to 1945. At this time he was also politically active in the Democratic Party.
From 1933 to 1949, Matthews worked for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation , an independent federal agency . During World War II he served as director and vice president of the United Service Organizations ; he was also a member of President Harry S. Truman's civil rights committee between 1946 and 1947 .
Truman appointed Matthews on May 25, 1949 to succeed the resigned John L. Sullivan as Secretary of the Navy . Until 1947 this office still held the rank of cabinet ; now in this capacity he was subordinate to the Minister of Defense . During his two-year term in office, which also saw the start of the Korean War , the German government increased defense spending to prepare for international crises. In addition, the military was faced with the task of simultaneously having to fear an expansion of the war in Asia and taking defensive measures in Europe.
The admirals ' uprising also took place during Matthews' tenure . This was a controversy between the Navy and the Air Force over the question of which of the two branches of arms would be responsible for strategic bombing and the dropping of nuclear weapons in the future. Navy leaders protested the Department of Defense's plans to favor the Air Force, whereupon seasoned admirals such as Louis E. Denfeld , the Chief of Naval Operations , were dismissed or asked to resign.
Francis Matthews resigned on July 31, 1951 and became the United States Ambassador to Ireland , the home of his ancestors. He died the following year while visiting his hometown of Omaha.
literature
- Francis Patrick Matthews , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 50/1952 from December 1, 1952, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely accessible)
Web links
- Naval Historical Center ( Memento from September 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Francis P. Matthews in the database of Find a Grave (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Matthews, Francis P. |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Matthews, Francis Patrick (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician and administrative lawyer |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 15, 1887 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Albion , Nebraska |
DATE OF DEATH | October 18, 1952 |
Place of death | Omaha , Nebraska |