Jean Holbrook Mathews was born in Ogden, Utah, of LDS pioneer progenitors. She met and married John P. Mathews while attending Weber State University, and they have three children. The Mathews family was transferred to St. Louis by John’s employer, where they lived for thirty years. She received her B.S. from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She spent ten years as a member of the Missouri State House of Representatives, during which time she received her Master’s degree from UM–Columbia. Her first love is history, with a special focus on Church history.