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{{Short description|Indian politician (1901–1954)}}
{{Indian name|Mathai|Vettath John}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = V. J. Mathai
| image = Vettah J Mathai.jpg
| alt = A black-and-white photograph of Mathai in his 40s. He is wearing round glasses and has a toothbrush moustache, as well as short, dark hair.
| caption = Mathai {{circa|1948}}
| office = Member of the [[Cochin Legislative Council]]
| term_start = 1938
| term_end = 1945
| predecessor = H. J. Valmesly
| constituency = Planters
| birth_name = Vettath John Mathai
| birth_date = {{birth date|1901|2|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Mulanthuruthy]], Kingdom of Cochin, British India
| death_date = {{death date and age|1954|8|5|1901|2|25|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Assam]], India
}}
'''Vettath John Mathai''' (25 February 1901 – 5 August 1954), also known as "The Lion of Cochin", was an Indian politician who was a member of the [[Cochin Legislative Council]] from 1938 to 1945, representing the plantation-owning class. He is best known for being the first Indian to defeat a European in a democratic election in Indian history.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2015/aug/18/resurrecting-the-legend-of-vettath-mathai-800849.html|title=Resurrecting the Legend of Vettath Mathai|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=2019-08-01}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Mathai was born to a [[Saint Thomas Christians|Malayalee Syrian Christian]] Vettath family in [[Mulanthuruthy]] village. At the time, Mulanthuruthy was part of the [[Kingdom of Cochin]], a princely state under the [[British Raj]].

Being one of five sons, his father, John obtained a loan from an acquaintance to have Mathai and his brothers educated.

With these funds, Mathai took his graduate and law degrees from Madras.

== Political career ==
As a lawyer, he was a firebrand who was often critical of British rule.

It is said{{By whom|date=August 2025}} that [[E. M. S. Namboodiripad]], Kerala's first Chief Minister, would walk 5–8 km just to hear Mathai speak.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1930s, only those who held 300 acres of land or more were eligible to vote in Cochin state.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1937 election, Mathai ran against H. J. Valmesly to win in the planters' constituency by just one vote. As a result, he became the first Indian to defeat a European in an election to any legislative body.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/vettath-j-mathais-portrait-unveiled/article2862344.ece|title=Vettath J. Mathai's portrait unveiled|date=2012-02-05|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-08-01|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Some of his legislative work included the protection 4,500 temples and ensured funds are allotted for this purpose from the Cochin State.<ref name=":0" />

== Key political positions ==
He sponsored or supported a number of bills and cut motions to:<ref>"Major contributions of Mr. Vettath J. Mathai in the Cochin Legislative Council" by Advocate P.J. Joshy and released by Justice Mr K.K. Narendran, 2003.</ref>

* Introduce mid-wives to villages and prevent the taking of payments for services from the poor in hospitals
* Investigate and tackle the prevalence of malaria
* Curtail and restrict the operation of lotteries and chit funds (known as kurie)
* Ease the lives of plantation works and owners through advocating the easing of licensing; improving roads, canals and irrigation; prohibiting the importation of Burmese rubber
* Stymie efforts to introduce sectarian/communal quotas into government and bureaucratic positions - instead championing secularism
* Stymie efforts to introduce English into the curriculum given limited funds available

== Personal life and other pursuits ==
He took on a number of social justice initiatives.

Mathai sold 300 acres of land in Neliyampathy and another 50 acres in Arakunnam to help get women from backward castes or otherwise poor backgrounds married.<ref name=":0" />

He was also a serial entrepreneur, being a founder of the Cochin Commercial Bank, bolstering the fledgling rubber cultivation industry in Kerala by importing seeds and planting 110 acres of the trees on his holdings, and bringing coal trains into Kerala from Kolkata.<ref name=":1" />

He was the brother-in-law of [[K. E. Mammen]], father-in-law of surgeon [[Thomas Thomas (surgeon)|Thomas Thomas]], and son-in-law of K. C. Eapen (of Travancore National Bank fame).

== Later life and death ==
He was given an opportunity to procure cheap land in [[Dibrugarh district]] of [[Assam]], where he was ostensibly running a sugarcane plantation.

He died in Assam on 5 August 1954.

== Legacy ==
In 2010, his portrait was unveiled at the Council Hall of the Ernakulam Law College.<ref name=":1" />

In 2010, the Kerala Postal Circle ran a special cover to commemorate him.<ref name=":0" />

In 2015, a road in Cochin was named after him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/apr/03/the-curious-case-of-a-missing-nameboard-in-kochi-1959857.html|title=The curious case of a missing nameboard in Kochi|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=2019-08-01}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathai, Vettath}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Kerala]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:People from Ernakulam district]]

V. J. Mathai - Revision history

RajveerSingha1950: started initial post more to come