A native of Waco, Texas, Matthews received his higher education later in life, having graduated with a bachelor"s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 1994 from the University of Texas at Dallas. In 2006, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Based in Austin, Texas, his service on the Railroad Commission extended from 1995 to 2005. As chancellor, from 2005 to 2010. In 1999, he received a master"s degree in public administration from Texas State University in San Marcos, then known as Southwest Texas State University.
From 1984 to 1986, Matthews was the mayor of Garland, Texas, a nonpartisan position in which he worked to reduce the tax rate and to cut municipal expenditures.
In 1986, he lost a race for county judge in Dallas County. In 1994, he unseated veteran Democratic Railroad Commissioner James East. Nugent.
Matthews outpolled Nugent, 2,046,614 votes (498 percent) to 1,978,759 (481 percent). Another 84,769 votes were cast (21 percent) for the Libertarian Rich Draheim.
As railroad commissioner, Matthews supported more exploration for natural gas to meet future electricity needs.
Early in 2005, Matthews stepped down from the Railroad Commission to succeed Lamar Urbanovsky as the university system chancellor. Matthews served on the Texas Turnpike Authority under appointment from Republican Governor Bill Clements. He is a former director, president, and chief executive officer of the Texas Municipal Power Agency.
Originally established in 1911 to supervise the normal schools of Texas, the TSU system, which Matthews headed for five years, consists of nine institutions: Texas State University-San Marcos, Angelo State University in San Angelo, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Lamar University in Beaumont, the Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College-Orange, Lamar State College-Portuguese Arthur, Sul Ross State University in Alpine, and Rio Grande College of Sul Ross State University.
These schools enroll more than seventy thousand students.
He received 3,633,901 votes (77 percent), with the remaining 23 percent split between two minor party contenders.
