Donald Matthews (political scientist)

Donald R. Matthews (1926-2007) was a prominent American political scientist known for his work on the United States Senate and legislative behavior. He made significant contributions to the understanding of senatorial norms, career patterns of politicians, and the influence of informal rules in Congress.

Matthews received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1953. He taught at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and finally at the University of Washington, where he held the Henry M. Jackson Professorship of Political Science.

His most influential work is arguably U.S. Senators and Their World (1960). This book provided a groundbreaking analysis of the Senate's unwritten rules, or "folkways," and how these norms shaped the behavior of senators. He identified norms such as apprenticeship, legislative work, specialization, courtesy, reciprocity, and institutional patriotism. These norms, he argued, contributed to the Senate's unique character and its capacity for deliberation and compromise.

Other notable works by Matthews include The Social Backgrounds of Political Decision-Makers (1954) and Perspectives on Presidential Selection (1973). His research employed quantitative methods and sophisticated data analysis to explore the social and political dynamics of elite behavior.

Matthews’s work significantly impacted the study of American politics, particularly legislative studies. He helped to move the field beyond formal institutional analysis towards a more nuanced understanding of the informal norms and social interactions that shape political outcomes. He trained numerous students who went on to become leading scholars in political science. He received several awards and honors for his scholarship, including the American Political Science Association's James Madison Award for distinguished scholarly contributions to political science.