Senator Charles "Mac" Mathias was a lifelong Republican who won every election in a 26-year congressional career in heavily Democratic Maryland. A courageous risk-taker, Mathias led efforts to advance civil rights, voting rights, environmental initiatives to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, and establish the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On foreign policy, he was an early critic of the Vietnam War and a consistent advocate for nuclear arms control, Middle East peace and sanctions against apartheid South Africa. His story, captured here by senior staff members, members of Congress and others, is an inspiring example of what a courageous political leader can do when he follows his conscience and is acts on principle. His remarkable career is a stark reminder of the days when the Republican Party stood for the rule of law, respect for the Constitution and a bipartisan foreign policy.

The collection of U.S. Senator, Charles McC. Mathias, includes material from his service in both the House and the Senate. Included are office administrative and management files, legislative research files; speeches, statements, and articles written for publication; "Congressional Record inserts, legislative reprints; constitutent mail on legislative issues with the Senator's responses; record vote analyses; campaign materials; news clippings; photographs; video tapes; records of travel; memberships, awards and honors; and a few files from his service in the Maryland House of Delegates, 1958-1960. A few letters and some biographical information form the small number of personal items in the collection.

The immigrant ancestor, Philip Mathias (Johan Philip Mattes) (1744-1834), was born in the area of Rhine Palatine. He came to Philadelphia in 1764. In 1769 he married Anna Catherine Kinzel in Cleona/Annville, Lebanon Twp., Lancaster Co., Pa. A chapter is devoted to each of his seven children and descendants. A long chapter is also devoted to the Wrights, who are multiply related to the Mathiases. These Wrights stem from an early Wright family of Baltimore Co., Maryland. Descendants live in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Colorado and elsewhere.