Joel Rand Matheson (born February 18, 1930) is a former lawyer, business owner and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. He represented

Halifax Bedford Basin Clayton Park West is a provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The riding was created in 1978 as Halifax Bedford Basin from a portion of Hali ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1978 to 1993 as a Progressive Conservative.

Early life and education

He was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, the son of Rand Matheson, and was educated in

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...

, at

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Fran ...

and finally graduating with an LL.B. from

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

in 1954.

Political career

Matheson served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Finance, Minister of Mines and Energy, Minister of Health and Attorney General. He was defeated by Gerry Fogarty when he ran for reelection in 1993. Also in 1993, Matheson ran unsuccessfully in the federal riding of

Halifax West Halifax West () is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2023 r ...

as a Progressive Conservative, losing to

Geoff Regan Geoffrey Paul Regan (born November 22, 1959) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 36th speaker of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Liberal Party, he was the member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax West 20 ...

. In 2009, he was named chairman of the board of directors for Canasur Gold.

Personal life

In 1953, he married Ruth MacRobert.

References

1930 births Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Living people Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia People from Bedford, Nova Scotia Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Ministers of health of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia candidates for Member of Parliament 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly {{ProgressiveConservative-NovaScotia-MLA-stub