Chalakuzhy Paulose Mathen

C. P. Matthen (18 May 1890 – 2 June 1960) was a Member of the Indian Parliament in the first Lok Sabha to be constituted in 1952 after India gained Independence from Britain. He represented the Thiruvalla constituency of Kerala. Matthen was appointed the Indian Ambassador to Sudan after his single term in the Lok Sabha. Before his entry into politics, Matthen was a businessman with interests in cashew, minerals, insurance, plantations and banking. He was responsible for starting the Alleppey Chamber of Commerce. He was Managing Director of the Travancore National & Quilon (TN&Q) Bank when it suffered a run of unprecedented length that forced it to close. The bank run was said to have been escalated by Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, the Dewan of Travancore, in an attempt to reduce the power of the Christian Community who were agitating for fair representation in the governing council of this Princely State. C.P. Matthen was extradited from Madras and imprisoned in Trivandrum, allegedly for balance sheet irregularities. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment but offered many chances to walk free if he would acknowledge guilt. C.P. Matthen refused these offers, maintaining his innocence for more than three years. He became something of a folk hero for his uncompromising stand. He was released on 22 January 1942 without condition or explanation and returned to Madras.