David James Mathew (15 January 1902 – 12 December 1975) was a British Roman Catholic bishop and historian.
Mathew was born at Lyme Regis, Dorset, and educated at the naval colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth.
He was ordained in 1929, and spent 10 months as a novice at St Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster, West Sussex, before concluding that he did not have a monastic vocation.
His service in Africa was successful, and he helped carry out the Vatican's policy of preparing for the appointment of native African bishops, acting as principal consecrator of Laurean Rugambwa after his appointment as Apostolic Vicar of Lower Kagera: Rugambwa later became the first African cardinal since the days of the early church.
[citation needed] Upon Mathew's return to England in 1953, he was appointed bishop-in-ordinary to the British Armed Forces.