Robert Jay Mathews | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1953-01-16)January 16, 1953 Marfa, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 1984(1984-12-08) (aged 31) Whidbey Island, nearFreeland, Washington, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Smoke inhalation and fire |
| Organization(s) | Sons of Liberty The Order |
| Spouse | Debbie McGarity (m. 1976) |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Jay Mathews (January 16, 1953 – December 8, 1984) was an Americanneo-Nazi terrorist and the leader ofThe Order, an Americanwhite supremacist militant group.[1][2] He was burned alive during ashootout with approximately 75federal law enforcement agents who surrounded his house onWhidbey Island, nearFreeland, Washington. He is believed to have served as a lookout in the murder ofAlan Berg.[3]
Robert Mathews was born inMarfa, Texas, on January 16, 1953, the youngest of three sons born to Johnny and Una Mathews. His father, ofScottish descent, was mayor of the town, and the President of theChamber of Commerce, as well as a businessman and leader for the localMethodist church. His mother was the town'sCub Scout den mother.
The family moved toPhoenix, Arizona. Though he was an average student in grade school, history and politics interested him. At age 11, he joined theJohn Birch Society, a right-wing advocacy group supportingpaleoconservatism,anti-communism andlimited government. Mathews was baptized intothe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1969.[4]
Mathews formed the Sons of Liberty, an anti-communistmilitia whose members were mainly Mormonsurvivalists. At its peak, it had approximately 30 members. After filling out his employer'sW-4 Form claiming ten dependents, reportedly as an act oftax resistance, he was arrested fortax fraud, tried, and placed onprobation for six months.[3]
Mathews became awhite supremacist and in 1982 he made an effort to recruit white families to thePacific Northwest, or theWhite American Bastion.[3]
In 1983, Mathews delivered a speech at aNational Alliance convention reporting on his efforts to recruit on behalf of the organization, especially among "theyeoman farmers andindependent truckers," to his White American Bastion group.[5] Mathews was a fan of the far-right extremist 1978 novelThe Turner Diaries written by National Alliance founderWilliam Luther Pierce.[6]
In late September 1983, at abarracks he constructed on his property in Metaline, Mathews and eight other men founded the organization The Order. They included his friend and neighbor, Ken Loff, and others from the Aryan Nations: Dan Bauer, Randy Duey, Denver Parmenter, Bruce Pierce, andDavid Lane; and the National Alliance: Richie Kemp and Bill Soderquist.
The group's first task, according to Mathews' plan, was to obtain money to supportwhite separatism. Their activities began to parallel events in the novelThe Turner Diaries. They robbed anadult bookstore inSpokane, Washington, which netted them $369.10. They agreed that was too risky, and turned to robbing armored cars andcounterfeiting. They printed somecounterfeit $50 bills, and 28-year-old Bruce Pierce was arrested after passing off a few of them.
To raise Pierce's bail, Mathews, acting alone,robbed a bank just north ofSeattle, Washington, stealing around $26,000. Some of The Order's members, along with a new recruit, Gary Yarborough, carried out more robberies and burglaries, which netted them over $43,000. A subsequent robbery yielded several hundred thousand dollars. Another recruit, Tom Martinez, was caught and charged for passing more counterfeit currency. Then in July 1984, they deployed approximately a dozen men in a successful effort to rob aBrink's truck of $3,600,000.[7]
The group distributed some of the stolen money to theNorth Carolina–basedWhite Patriot Party and otherwhite nationalist organizations.[8]
Prior to his death, Mathews wrote a long letter declaring war on thefederal government of the United States and justifying his group's actions. In it, he describes threats allegedly made to members of his family byFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, including to his young son while he was away from his house, as well as a number of attempts on his life by other government agents. He explained the reasons for his decision to "quit being the hunted and become the hunter," and closed by writing, "I am not going into hiding[;] rather I will press the FBI and let them know what it is like to become the hunted. Doing so it is only logical to assume that my days on this planet are rapidly drawing to a close. Even so, I have no fear. For the reality of my life is death, and the worst the enemy can do to me is shorten my tour of duty in this world. I will leave knowing that I have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the future of my children."[9][better source needed]
Mathews and the other members of The Order were eventually betrayed by Martinez, who became an FBI informant after his arrest forcounterfeiting. After he revealed information regarding Mathews' activities to the FBI, agents moved to capture Mathews and his associates, leading to one of the largest manhunts in FBI history.[10] By the time they could set up the operation, all of Mathews' accomplices and friends had decided to move tosafe houses. The government's agents surrounded Mathews in a house nearFreeland, Washington onWhidbey Island on December 7, 1984. Mathews refused to come out and negotiations continued until December 8, when Mathews refused to talk anymore. The FBI then fired dozens ofsmoke grenades and a stun grenade into the house in an attempt to force Mathews out, but were thwarted by his use of agas mask. Mathews opened fire on several agents who attempted to enter the house, and a long standoff began. When a helicopter appeared at nightfall, Mathews opened fire on it from an upstairswindow — the helicopter's crew wasunhurt — and then once again exchanged gunfire with federal agents. An FBI agent then fired threeM79 Starburst flares inside the house from the helicopter,[3] setting off a box ofhand grenades and a stockpile of ammunition. Mathews continued to fire an assault rifle at agents as the house burned, but then suddenly stopped. After the wreckage had cooled enough to be searched, agents found the burned remains of 31-year-old Mathews' body, with a pistol still in his hand.[citation needed] Anautopsy concluded that Mathews had died from a combination of burns and smoke inhalation. Mathews had fired over 1,000 rounds at law enforcement, but no agents were injured.[citation needed]
Mathews' remains were cremated and the ashes scattered by his family on his property inMetaline, Washington.
Eventually, dozens were convicted of crimes connected to The Order, on charges that includedracketeering,conspiracy, counterfeiting, transporting stolen money, armored car robbery, and violation ofcivil rights. Sentences of up to 252 years were imposed.[3] Also prosecuted were members ofThe Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, a far-right paramilitary allied with The Order which had declared war on the federal government as well. Most of their leading members received lengthy prison terms for illegal weapons possession and racketeering.[11]
Later, ten people connected to the case, includingButler,Lane, and Pierce, weretried for sedition, but were acquitted by a jury.[12]
Mathews was portrayed byPeter Gallagher in the 1999 television filmBrotherhood of Murder and byNicholas Hoult in the 2024 theatrical filmThe Order.[13][14]
The C18 hit lists, bomb-making instructions and escalating racial violence indicate the influence of American Nazi ideology and methods. In The Order, the magazine named after the U.S. terrorist group, editor John Cato paid fulsome tribute to its martyred leader, Robert Jay Mathews. It quoted Mathews's "declaration of war" against a "Jewish controlled mongrelized society, which is depriving White Aryans of their existence and homeland."
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