Courtland Cushing Matson (April 25, 1841 – September 4, 1915) was an American lawyer and

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran who served four terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1881 to 1889.

Early life

Courtland Cushing Matson was born on April 25, 1841, in

Brookville, Indiana Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The town is the county seat of and the largest community entirely within Franklin County. The population was 2,596 at the 2010 census. History Brookville was ...

. Matson graduated from Indiana Asbury University (now

De Pauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was fo ...

) in 1862. He later studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

Career

During the

, Matson enlisted as a private in the Sixteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers. After one year's service entered the Sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Cavalry (Seventy-first Volunteers), and served until October 1865, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of colonel. After the war, Matson studied law and commenced practice in

Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It is located near Interstate 70 approximately halfway between Terre Haute and Indianapolis in the west-central portion ...

. He was three times elected prosecuting attorney of

Putnam County, Indiana Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 36,726. The county seat is Greencastle. The county was named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a ...

. He served as chairman of the Democratic State central committee in 1878.

Congress

Matson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Forty-seventh and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1889). He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions ( Forty-eighth through Fiftieth Congresses). He was not a candidate for renomination. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Indiana in 1888.

Later career

He resumed the practice of law in

. He served as member of the board of tax commissioners 1909–1913.

Personal life

Matson died on September 4, 1915, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matson, Courtland Cushing 1841 births 1915 deaths DePauw University alumni People from Brookville, Indiana Union army colonels People of Indiana in the American Civil War Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Indiana lawyers Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Greencastle, Indiana) People from Greencastle, Indiana 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives