Harlan Mathews, center, appears at a event honor former State Treasurers in 2011. Image: TN Photo Services/Flickr
Former Democratic US Senator and Tennessee State Treasurer Harlan Mathews has died. He had a long tenure in state government.
His tour of duty began in the 1950s, when he worked as an assistant to Governor Frank Clement. Mathews served as state Finance Director from 1961 to 1971. He was elected State Treasurer by the General Assembly in 1974.
He later served as deputy governor under Ned McWherter. In late 1992, McWherter appointed Mathews to the US Senate, taking Al Gore’s place after he became Vice President.
“Some people claim I have been working in state government since James K. Polk was governor,” Mathews quipped at a press conference announcing his appointment. “While that exaggerates things a little bit, it is true I have been personally involved in much of the progress we have enjoyed in Tennessee over the last four decades.”
Mathews chose not to seek election to the seat, and stepped down in 1994. He later joined a Nashville law firm and served as an informal advisor to Governor Phil Bredesen.
A statement from his family says Mathews died at a Nashville hospice Friday morning; he was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Harlan Mathews was 87 years old.
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