Scott Milne Matheson (August 9, 1897 – October 4, 1958) was the

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the District of Utah from 1949 to 1953. Scott Milne Matheson was born on August 9, 1897, in

Parowan, Utah Parowan ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 3,100. Parowan became the first incorporated city in Iron County in 1851. A ...

, and served in the United States army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Matheson received his bachelor's degree from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

and then taught high school for a time in Parowan. He then went to Chicago where he earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and did further studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. In 1930, Matheson returned to Iron County, Utah, where he formed the law firm Matheson and Morris and also taught at the institution that is now

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

. From 1932 to 1934, he was the county attorney for Iron County. He was also a counselor in the presidency of the local

stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 1934, Matheson was made an assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah. In 1949, he was appointed United States attorney for the District of Utah by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. In 1953, he resigned this office largely due to ill health. Matheson died on October 4, 1958, at age 61 from a heart attack. Matheson is the father of Scott M. Matheson Jr., who served as Governor of Utah from 1977 to 1985. Matheson Sr. is the grandfather of U.S. Congressman

Jim Matheson James David Matheson (born March 21, 1960) is an American politician who served as a United States Representative from Utah from 2001 to 2015. He represented Utah's 2nd district from 2001 to 2013 and its from 2013 to 2015 as a member of the Dem ...

and federal judge

Scott Matheson Jr. Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (born Scott Milne Matheson III; July 15, 1953) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has served on that court since 2010. A native of Salt Lake City, Matheson gra ...

Sources

Biography of Matheson from the United States attorney's office
1897 births 1958 deaths Assistant United States Attorneys Latter Day Saints from Utah Northwestern University alumni People from Parowan, Utah Southern Utah University faculty United States Army personnel of World War I United States Attorneys for the District of Utah University of Chicago alumni University of Utah alumni {{Utah-bio-stub