Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/322

 MATSON

MATTESON

CARPeMTKRS HAU. f>HIL.APKLPHIA.

-1774-

safety in 1776, and with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas McKean, John Bayard and otliers, was appointed to attend the conference held on June 14, 1776. In 1785 he was selected to carry on the prosecution against Benedict Arnold. He was a

delegate to the CJontinental con- gress, 1780-87, removed to Lan- caster, and was master of the rolls of Penn- sylvania. 1800- 09. The office [was discontinu- 'ed, March 29, 18- 09, and he was prothonotary of one of the city courts of Philadelphia for many years thereafter. He joined Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris in establishing and erecting the Free Quaker meeting-house in Philadelphia. He lived nearly one hundred years and died near Holmesburg, Pa., April 15. 1829.

MATSON, Courtland Gushing, representative, was borjj in Brook ville, Ind., April 25, 1841 ; son of the Hon. John A. and Margaretta M. Matson, and grandson of John A. and Mary (Anderson) Matson. He was graduated from Indiana As- bury (De Pauw) university, A.B., 1862, A.M., 1865. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the 16th Indiana volunteers and in 1862 entered the 6th Indiana cavalry, with which he served until the close of the war, rising to the rank of colonel. In 1865 he began the study of law with his father and he settled in practice at Greencastle, Ind. He was three times elected prosecuting attorney ; was chairman of the Democratic state central committee, 1878 ; a Democratic representative from the fifth Indiana district in the 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th congresses, 1881-89 ; and candidate for governor of Indiana, 1888. He was married, Dec. 12, 1871, to Mary Nelson Farrow, who died, Feb. 6, 1893. After the close of his term in congress he resumed the practice of law at Greencastle.

MATTESON, Charles, jurist, was born in Coventry, H.I. .March 21, 1840 ; son of Asahel and Julia M. (Johnson) Matteson ; grandson of Reu- ben and Esther (Burleson) Matteson, and of Usel and Mehitabel (Baker) Johnson, and a descend- ant of Francis Matteson, who came to Provi- dence. R.I., from England in 1648. He was pre- pared for college at the University grammar school and was graduated at Brown, A.B., 1861, A.M., 1864 ; studied law at Harvard and was admitted to the Rhode Island baf in 1864, prac- tising in Providence, 1864-75. He was state

senator, 1871-73. He was married, Aug. 22, 1872, to Belle, daughter of Paul Hines, of War- wick. He was elected an a.ssociate justice of the supreme court of Rhode Island in January, 1875, by the Republican votes in the state legis- lature to fill the vacancy caused by the elevation of Justice Durfee to the chief-justiceship, and in July, 1891, he was appointed to the chief-justice- ship as successor to Chief-Justice Durfee, re- tired. On May 22, 1900, he retired from the bench after a service of twenty-five years and visited Europe. He received the degree of LL.D. from Brown in 1891.

MATTESON, Joel AIdrlch,governor of Illinois, was born in Watertown, N.Y., Aug. 2, 1808. He attended the public schools of Jefferson county, taught school in Brownsville, N.Y.,and was fore- man of the construction of the Charleston and Augusta railroad in South Carolina, 1831-34. In 1834 he settled in Illinois, where he was a state senator for three terms and governor of the state, 1853-57. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for U.S. senator during his term as governor. He was a contractor in building the Illinois and Michigan canal, and upon the failure of the state to reimburse him, he pureliased from the state all the iron held for public im- provements and the advance in the price pre- vented his becoming bankrupt. He was presi- dent of the Chicago and Alton railroad and conducted several banks on the line of the road. He died in Chicago, 111., Jan. 31, 1883.

MATTESON, Orsamus B., representative, wa.^ born in Verona, N.Y., in 1805. He attended piib- lic schools, studied law in the office of Greene C. Bronson and became a leading lawyer in Utica. He was an early disciple of the Freesoil party ; was the first city attorney of Utica ; a com- missioner of the supreme court of New York ; and was a Free-soil and Republican representative in the 31st, 33d, 34th and 35th congresses, 1849-51 and 1853-59. He became conspicuous by being charged with declaring that a large number of the representatives in congress were purchasable, and a resolution to expel him failed to pass. He died in Utica, N.Y., Dec. 22, 18^9.

MATTESON, Tompkins Harrison, historical painter, was l)orn in Peterborough, N.Y.,May 9, 1813. He learned the rudiments of drawing from an Indian wood carver and devoted him- self to the study of art. He began to paint por- traits in 1839, but met with indifferent success until the purchase by the American Art union of his famous " Spirit of '76." He removed to New York city and continued his studies at the National Academy of Design, of which he became an associate in 1847. He removed to Sherboume, N.Y.. in 1851 ; was president of the Chenango Agricultural society in 1825, and was elected a.