Matthews was a 23rd century Human who served in Starfleet as a crewmember aboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise in the late 2260s, in the security department.
In 2269, Matthews accompanied Captain James T. Kirk and a survey team to planet Delta Gamma IV, bordering the Klingon-Romulan border. All of the survey team became infected with psionic-boosting plant spores. Matthews was one of three members of the team that died. (TOS novel: Death's Angel)