Robert Jay Mathews
Robert Jay Mathews was an American figure known for his involvement in far-right extremism and criminal activities during the 1980s. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, he became engaged with ultraconservative ideologies early in life, participating in groups such as the John Birch Society and converting to Mormonism. Mathews founded the Sons of Liberty, an anticommunist organization, and later relocated to Metaline Falls, Washington, where he sought to establish a life aligned with his beliefs and concerns about the demographic changes in the United States.
In 1983, Mathews co-founded a group called The Order, also known as the Silent Brotherhood, which sought to promote white supremacy through criminal means. The group initially engaged in robbery, targeting locations such as a pornography store and banks, to fund its activities. Mathews’ criminal endeavors culminated in a violent confrontation with law enforcement in December 1984, when he was killed during a standoff after the FBI surrounded a cabin on Whidbey Island. The aftermath included legal repercussions for the members of The Order, with some facing serious charges, although not all were convicted for their actions, highlighting the complexity of extremist movements in the United States.
Subject Terms
Robert Jay Mathews
American anti-Semite
- Born: January 16, 1953
- Birthplace: Marfa, Texas
- Died: December 8, 1984
- Place of death: Whidbey Island, Washington
Cause of notoriety: Mathews founded The Order, a white supremacist group whose fund-raising practices led to members’ convictions on racketeering, conspiracy, counterfeiting, robbery, and other charges.
Active: 1983-1984
Locale: Washington State
Early Life
The family of Robert Jay Mathews (MATH-yews) moved to Phoenix, Arizona, when he was five years old. Mathews was a member of the Boy Scouts and the ultraconservative John Birch Society and converted to Mormonism. He also became a staunch anticommunist, and after he left high school he founded a short-lived anticommunist group, the Sons of Liberty. During this time, Mathews was convicted of lying on a W-4 tax form—as a form of tax resistance. He was placed on probation for six months. While he was still a young man, Mathews relocated to Metaline Falls, Washington, known for its rugged beauty. There he and his father bought sixty acres of wooded property. Mathews married Debbie McGarrity, with whom he adopted a son in 1981. Mathews did not drink, smoke, or use profanity. His favorite pastime was reading.
Criminal Career
While working to clear his land and make a small farm, Mathews began to be harassed again for the tax rebellion movement with which he had been involved in Arizona. Because of this harassment, and also as a result of his reading, which included tracts on dangers facing the white race, Mathews instigated a drive to attract whites to the Pacific Northwest. In a public letter, Mathews stated his fear that his son would grow up a stranger in his own country, where whites would be a minority. In September of 1983, Mathews founded, with eight other men, a group known as The Order, which they referred to as the Silent Brotherhood.
None of the members of The Order had previously committed violent crimes or had been in prison. Their first criminal act, whose goal was funding their new white resistance movement, was robbing a pornography shop. They branched out to robbing banks and then, in July of 1984, an armored truck. One of the members, Tom Martinez, was arrested for passing counterfeit currency.
Legal Action and Outcome
Martinez testified against Mathews and others in the group. On December 8, 1984, Mathews and several others were in a small cabin on Whidbey Island in Washington. There they were surrounded by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who burned the cabin to the ground, killing Mathews. The others managed to escape.
Impact
In the resulting trials, charges were brought against members of The Order and others working with them. The charges included racketeering, conspiracy, counterfeiting, transporting stolen money, and robbery. Ten of the defendants were tried for sedition but were acquitted. Two members of the group were also found guilty of violating the civil rights of controversial Denver talk-show host Alan Berg. Berg, who was Jewish, had died of a gunshot wound. No murder charges were filed in his death.
Bibliography
Barkun, Michael. Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. This comprehensive book concerns the ideological background of various Aryan groups that make up the loosely named Christian Identity movement.
Bushart, Howard L., and John R. Craig. Soldiers of God: White Supremacists and Their Holy War for America. New York: Kensington Books, 1998. A look at the complex beliefs in white supremacist organizations from the Ku Klux Klan to the smallest groups in mountain towns.
Flynn, Kevin, and Gary Gerhardt. The Silent Brotherhood: Inside America’s Racist Underground. New York: Free Press, 1989. The story of Robert Jay Mathews, who was not part of the stereotypical anti-Semitic terrorist groups. The authors interviewed most of the key members of the Silent Brotherhood in and out of prison.
Langer, Elinor. A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2003. A thorough explanation of the neo-Nazi movement, beginning with one case in Portland, Oregon, and describing the major and minor groups across the United States.