Albert Matson Biography This biography appears on page 111 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm ALBERT MATSON. Albert Matson, states attorney at Brookings, who since his admission to the bar has made continuous progress until he stands today among the able lawyers of his section of the state, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on the 16th of December, 1871, a son of Andrew and Ellen (Johnson) Matson, both of whom were natives of Sweden, where they were reared and married. They came to the United States in 1865, settling in Chicago, and the father, who was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade, worked in the car shops of Chicago, doing fine work on the building of passenger coaches. In 1881 he came to South Dakota, taking up a homestead in Clark county, and subsequently he acquired two other quarter sections, thus becoming the owner of valuable property ere his death, which occurred in 1910. His widow still resides on the homestead claim. Albert Matson was a little lad of ten summers when the family came to this state and upon the home farm spent the days of his boyhood and youth. He acquired his education in the public schools and in the South Dakota State College at Brookings. Completing his education, he was soon after appointed court reporter at Brookings, in which capacity he continued for eight years, and while thus engaged his deep interest in law practice was aroused, leading him to the study of law, to which he devoted his leisure hours. From 1899 until 1906 he was engaged in the real-estate business in Brookings and during that period continued to read law, being admitted to the bar in the latter year. In the fall of that year he was elected county judge of Brookings county and served continuously upon the bench until January, 1911, at which time he was elected to his present office of states attorney. He is an able lawyer, one who holds to high professional standards and whose ability is more and more widely recognized. In August, 1896, Mr. Matson was married to Miss Mary Sinjen, of Brookings, and they have become parents of six sons, Charles G., Arthur B., Wilfred F., Lyle F., Walter A. and Robert N. Mr. Matson belongs to Brookings Lodge, No. 40, I. O. O. F., and to the Modern Woodmen camp. He also has membership with the Brookings Commercial Club and is one of the representative men of the city-alert and enterprising, watchful of every opportunity pointing the way for the benefit and upbuilding of the city.