The name William Mathews is shared by several notable historical figures active from the late eighteenth century through the late twentieth century. These individuals achieved prominence in diverse fields such as athletics, military service, science, law, and public governance across the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and the Osage Nation.
Among the earliest recorded individuals is William Mathews (1793–1858), who played as an English cricketer during the nineteenth century. Around the same era, William A. Mathews (1800–1856) distinguished himself in North America, serving as a Texas colonist, soldier, courier, and quartermaster during the historic Texas Revolution. Another prominent nineteenth-century figure was William Mathews (1828–1901), an English mountaineer and botanist who contributed to alpine exploration and botanical study.
In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the name is represented by figures in law, governance, and earth sciences. William Gordon Mathews (1877–1923) served as a federal judge and lawyer in West Virginia. William Shirley Mathews (1848–1915) was a notable politician who served within the Osage Nation. Finally, Bill Mathews, born William Henry Mathews (1919–2003), was a Canadian geologist who dedicated his career to the study of geological sciences.
