Francis Patrick Matthews (March 15, 1887–October 18, 1952) served as 49th U.S. Secretary of the Navy, during the administration of President Harry Truman. Matthews served during most of Truman's first term, from May 25, 1949 to July 31, 1951. March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Wikiquote quotations related to: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... For the victim of Mt. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

Born in Albion, Nebraska, Matthews spent most of his adult life in Omaha. He graduated from Creighton University in Omaha in 1913, then practiced law in that city from that time onward. He was active in business pursuits, civic and religious affairs and Democratic Party politics. From 1933 through 1949, he served as a consultant to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Albion is a city located in Boone County, Nebraska. ... Omaha is the name of some places in the United States: *Omaha, Nebraska (the most familiar one) Omaha, Georgia Omaha, Illinois Omaha, Texas It is also the name of a Native American tribe, after which the city in Nebraska is named; see Omaha (tribe). ... Creighton University is a private, co-educational university in the United States founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878 and is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874–October 20, 1964) is best known as being the 31st (1929-1933) President of the United States. ...

During the Second World War, Mr. Matthews served as a Director and Vice President of the United Service Organizations (USO) and was also involved in war-relief work. He was Director (1941-1951) of the Department of Finance in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Following the war, he served briefly (1946-1947) on the President's Committee on Civil Rights. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... In the United States, the United Service Organizations (USO) was established to provide support to U.S. military personnel around the world. ... U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer organization started during the Progressive Movement in the early 1900s. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Truman tapped Matthews in early 1949 to become Secretary of the Navy. Matthews entered the post in May 1949, at a time of internal turmoil in the Department of Defense resulting from significant funding reductions and controversial decisions on defense priorities. He served through the first year of the Korean War; during his two years in office, the federal government was massively increasing defense spending to meet international crises, and all the armed forces were under major strain as they simultaneously tried to meet the demands of a hot war in Asia and an intensive defense build-up in Europe. 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

One of the key events of Matthews' time at the Navy Department was the so-called "Revolt of the Admirals," an intense controversy between the Navy and the Air Force over which service would be in charge of strategic bombing and the dropping of nuclear weapons. The Navy wanted to build huge flush-deck carriers (known as "supercarriers"), while the Air Force wanted to focus on the B-36 bomber. Top Navy leaders "revolted" when they publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Defense Dept.'s policies, and several senior admirals (including ADM Louis E. Denfeld, Chief of Naval Operations) were forced to resign. The Revolt of the Admirals was a late 1940s episode during which several high-ranking officers of the United States Navy publicly disagreed with the United States governments plans for the military forces. ... Two aircraft carriers, USS (left), and HMS Illustrious (right), showing the difference in size between a supercarrier and a light V/STOL aircraft carrier. ... The Convair B-36 (officially named the Peacemaker, but the name is rarely used) was an American strategic bomber aircraft, and the largest bomber ever flown by the United States. ... Louis Emil Denfield (1891-1972), was Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy from 15 December 1947 to 1 November 1949. ... The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the senior military officer in the United States Navy. ...

Matthews resigned the Navy post in July 1951 to become Ambassador to Ireland, the home of his ancestors. 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ...

He died on October 18, 1952, during a visit to Omaha. October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

For other men with this name, see John L. Sullivan (disambiguation). ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... U.S. Navy collection portrait Dan Able Kimball (1896-1970) was the 50th U.S. Secretary of the Navy. ...

References

• Wolk, Herman S. The Revolt of the Admirals." Air Force (May 1988): 73.5. (http://www.afa.org/magazine/perspectives/0588revolt.asp) Online. Air Force Association. Viewed 30 April 2005.
• Lewis, Andrew L., LCDR, USN. The Revolt of the Admirals (April 1998). (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/docs/98-166.pdf) Student paper from Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Viewed 30 April 2005.

External links

• Matthews biography from the Naval Historical Center (http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-m/f-mathw.htm)
• Profile of Matthews from the Truman Presidential Library (http://www.trumanlibrary.org/profile/viewpro.php?pid=137)

This article includes information collected from the Naval Historical Center. The Naval Historical Center (NHC) is the official history program of the United States Navy. ...