Robert Jay Mathews
| Robert Jay Mathews | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 16, 1953 Marfa, Texas |
| Died | December 8, 1984 (aged 31) Whidbey Island, near Freeland, Washington |
| Cause of death | Smoke inhalation, gunshot wounds, fire |
| Nationality | American |
| Organization | Sons of Liberty and The Order |
| Spouse(s) | Debbie McGarrity |
| Children | Clint Mathews (adopted with McGarrity), one daughter with Zillah Craig. |
| Parent(s) | Johnny and Una Mathews |
| Relatives | John Lee Mathews, Grant Mathews (brothers) |
Robert Jay Mathews (January 16, 1953 – December 8, 1984) was an American neo-Nazi terrorist and the leader of The Order, an American white supremacist militant group.
Mathews burned to death during an intense gunfight with approximately 75 federal law enforcement agents who surrounded his house on Whidbey Island, near Freeland, Washington.
Mathews' life inspired the production of the 1988 theatrical film Betrayed and the 1999 television film Brotherhood of Murder.
Robert Mathews was born in Marfa, Texas on January 16, 1953, the youngest of three boys born to Johnny and Una Mathews. His father, of Scottish descent, was mayor of the town, and the Chamber of Commerce's President, as well as a businessman and leader for the local Methodist church. His mother was the town's den mother.
The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Though he was an average student in grade school, history and politics interested him. At age 11, he joined the John Birch Society, a conservative advocacy group supporting anti-communism and limited government, and which has been described as a radical right and far-right organization. Matthews was baptized into the Mormon faith as a high schooler.
He formed the "Sons of Liberty," an anti-communist militia mostly made up of Mormon survivalists. At its peak, it had approximately 30 members. After filling out his employer's W-4 Form claiming ten dependents (reportedly as an act of tax resistance), he was arrested for tax fraud, tried, and placed on probation for six months. After a falling out between the Mormon and non-Mormon members, the Sons of Liberty became moribund and Mathews withdrew.
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