John Mathews (1744 – November 17, 1802) was a Founding Father of the United States and lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina.

He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the Articles of Confederation on behalf of South Carolina.

He was commissioned an ensign and in the South Carolina Provincial Regiment which took part in an expedition against the Cherokee in the early 1760s and was promoted to lieutenant.

He was a law clerk for Colonel Charles Pinckney after returning to South Carolina, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Charleston.

His sister Elizabeth Mathews was the wife of Founding Father Thomas Heyward Jr.