Peter W. Matts (June 20, 1814 – July 2, 1903) was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Biography

Matts was born on June 20, 1814, in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

. In 1842, he married Helen R. Dickson. They had seven children. Matts and his wife were affiliated with the Second Adventists. Eventually, Matts settled in Madison, Wisconsin Territory. He settled what is now

Paoli, Wisconsin Paoli is an unincorporated community in the town of Montrose, in Dane County, Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota t ...

, where he opened the Paoli Mills, now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Matts also served in the

Wisconsin State Militia The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Nation ...

, achieving the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He died on July 2, 1903, and was buried in Paoli.

Political career

Matts was elected sheriff of

Dane County Dane County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County, Wiscon ...

in 1846 and re-elected in 1848 after statehood as a Whig. He was elected to the Assembly in 1853 and served during the 1854 session as a Republican. Other positions Matts held include chairman (similar to mayor) of the town board (similar to city council) of

Montrose, Wisconsin The Town"Towns" in Wisconsin perform most of the same functions as townships in many other states. see 'Wisconsin Blue Book 2022,' Town, pp 354-355 of Montrose is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2 ...

, and justice of the peace.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matts Politicians from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of places in Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Wisconsin sheriffs American justices of the peace Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Whigs Military personnel from Madison, Wisconsin Military personnel from Pennsylvania Wisconsin National Guard personnel Millers 1814 births 1903 deaths People from Montrose, Wisconsin 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature