Portrait from Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. Cleveland: Geo. M. Rewell & Co., 1887.
James C. Matthews (1844-1930) was raised in Albany and had only recently graduated from high school when he was elected to serve as a delegate to the Syracuse convention. Matthews did not appear to play a role at the convention but may have attended to accompany abolitionist Stephen Myers and other seasoned civil rights activists from Albany.
After the Syracuse convention, Matthews clerked in a law office before earning a law degree in 1870. In addition to establishing a practice in criminal law, Matthews successfully argued a case to desegregate Albany’s public schools in 1872 and later lobbied for a bill to protect the rights of African American teachers.