Early Life and Career
Mathias was born in Frederick, Maryland, to Charles Mathias, Sr. and Theresa (née Trail). His father was politically active, and he was a descendant of several Maryland legislators. After graduating from Frederick High School, Mathias graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania in 1944. He went on to attend Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1949. Around this time, Mathias met his future wife, Ann Bradford, at a birthday party for his law school roommate Daniel Brewster. Ann Bradford is the daughter of former Massachusetts governor Robert F. Bradford.
In 1942, during World War II, Mathias enlisted in the United States Navy and served at the rank of Seaman Apprentice. He was promoted to Ensign in 1944 and served sea duty in the Pacific Ocean, including the recently-devastated Hiroshima, from 1944 until he was released from active duty in 1946. Following the war, Mathias rose to the rank of captain in the United States Naval Reserve.
Mathias briefly served as assistant Attorney General of Maryland from 1953 to 1954. From 1954 to 1959, he worked as the City Attorney of Frederick, where he supported civil rights for African Americans. He played a role in desegregating the local Opera House movie theater, which restricted African American seating to the back of the theater. Mathias also worked to relocate the Frederick post office and helped protect a park in the city. In 1958, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, serving from 1959 to 1960. As a delegate, he voted in favor of Maryland ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which secured African American rights following the American Civil War. With his support, the legislature ratified the amendment in 1959, nearly 100 years after it was first introduced.
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