Scott M. Matheson

Scott Matheson
Scott Matheson
12th Governor of Utah
	In office; January 3, 1977 – January 7, 1985
Lieutenant	David S. Monson
Preceded by	Cal Rampton
Succeeded by	Norm Bangerter
Chair of the National Governors Association
	In office; August 10, 1982 – August 2, 1983
Preceded by	Richard Snelling
Succeeded by	Jim Thompson
Personal details
Born	Scott Milne Matheson, Jr.; January 8, 1929; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 7, 1990 (aged 61); Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Norma Warenski (m. 1951)
Children	4, including Scott and Jim
Parent	Scott M. Matheson Sr. (father);
Education	University of Utah (BA); Stanford University (LLB)

Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (January 8, 1929 – October 7, 1990) was an American politician who served as the 12th governor of Utah from 1977 to 1985. He is the most recent Democrat to serve in that position.

Biography

Matheson was born on January 8, 1929, in Chicago to Latter-day Saint parents Scott Milne and Adele Adams Matheson.^[1] His paternal grandparents were Scottish immigrants, and his maternal grandfather was born to parents from Northern Ireland and England.^[2] Soon after his birth, the family moved to Utah, settling first in Parowan before moving to Salt Lake City when his father became United States Attorney for the District of Utah.

Matheson graduated from Salt Lake City's East High School in 1946, earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Utah in 1950, and a law degree from Stanford University Law School in 1952. He operated a private law practice in Iron County, Utah, for five years before taking a position with Union Pacific Railroad in 1958. During his service with the railroad, he rose to the position of general counsel before making his 1976 run for governor.

In 1998, the Utah Supreme Court was moved into the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse building.

During his term as governor, Matheson was named the defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court case of H. L. v. Matheson, which upheld a state law requiring parental consent for a teenage girl to obtain an abortion.

In 1986, Matheson considered a bid for the U.S. Senate to challenge incumbent Orrin Hatch in 1988.^[3] Despite leading in hypothetical polling, Matheson announced on May 29, 1987, that he would not run for the seat.^[4]

Personal life and death

On August 25, 1951, he married Norma Louise Warenski, and the couple had four children.^[1] One of his sons is former U.S. Congressman Jim Matheson. Another son, Scott Matheson Jr., was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Utah in the 2004 election and was appointed as a federal judge in 2010.

In 1989, Matheson was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer believed to have been caused by radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in Nevada.^[5] Scott Matheson died from the disease on October 7, 1990, at the age of 61. He was buried in Parowan City Cemetery in Parowan, Utah.

References

^ ^a ^b McCormick, John (1994), "Matheson, Scott M.", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on September 14, 2023, retrieved September 4, 2024
^ "Scott M. Matheson, 12th Governor of Utah". 5 October 2021.
^ "Matheson says he'll consider '88 senate bid". The Daily Herald. Associated Press. 1986-11-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
^ Parker, Douglas J. (1987-05-30). "Matheson Won't Take On Hatch". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
^ Gehrke, Robert (2019-07-29). "Norma Matheson, the 'godmother' of the Utah Democratic Party, dies at 89". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

Fowler, Glenn (October 8, 1990), "Scott Matheson, 61, Ex-Governor And Leading Democrat in Utah", The New York Times: D10
McCormick, John (1994), "Matheson, Scott M.", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on September 14, 2023, retrieved September 4, 2024

External links

Media related to Scott M. Matheson at Wikimedia Commons

Party political offices
Preceded by Cal Rampton	Democratic nominee for Governor of Utah 1976, 1980	Succeeded by Wayne Owens
Preceded by John Y. Brown Jr.	Chair of the Democratic Governors Association 1983	Succeeded by Chuck Robb
Political offices
Preceded by Cal Rampton	Governor of Utah 1977–1985	Succeeded by Norm Bangerter
Preceded by Richard Snelling	Chair of the National Governors Association 1982–1983	Succeeded by Jim Thompson

[Utah_History_Encyclopedia-1] McCormick, John (1994), "Matheson, Scott M.", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on September 14, 2023, retrieved September 4, 2024

[2] "Scott M. Matheson, 12th Governor of Utah". 5 October 2021.

[3] "Matheson says he'll consider '88 senate bid". The Daily Herald. Associated Press. 1986-11-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-09-13.

[4] Parker, Douglas J. (1987-05-30). "Matheson Won't Take On Hatch". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-09-13.

[slt-5] Gehrke, Robert (2019-07-29). "Norma Matheson, the 'godmother' of the Utah Democratic Party, dies at 89". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

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v t e Governors of Utah
Territorial (1850–1896)	Young Cumming Dawson Harding Doty Durkee Shaffer Vaughan Woods Axtell Emery Murray West Thomas West
State (since 1896)	Wells Cutler Spry Bamberger Mabey Dern Blood Maw Lee Clyde Rampton Matheson Bangerter Leavitt Walker Huntsman Herbert Cox

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