St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-06

weeks ago it became known that Col.
MattsOn was dangerously i'll, For week
it was expected that his departure would
be only a question of hours. About
a week ago he began to grow stronger.
The family began to take heart. 1t
was hoped that his iron constitution
would pull him through. But he was
too much weakened by his Illness.
Death was caused by fatty degenera-
ton of the heart. DR.. Toll, the attend
ing physician, was with him when he
died. as were all the members OF the
family save two sons who are in Cali
fornia. Col. MattsOn leaves wife and
one daughter, the wife of l., Jaeger,
editor of the North. The funeral ar
engagements have not been made yet.
Col. Hans Mattson has had remark
able career. In his early life in business
his experiences were, perhaps, but little
different from those of the usual lmml-
grant from European countries. He was
a SWediSh-AmeTicau pioneer. lie start
ed at the bottom and became one OF the
foremost Swedish-Americans in the
world, and an acknowledged leader OF
his people. He had been hOnOred over
most men by public office. He was
twice auditor of GOOdhue county, served
IN the war as a colonel of the Third
regiment Minnesota volunteers, was
elected secretary of state in Minnesota
three times, and represented the United
States as consul general to India during
the GaIGeld-Arthur administration.
Hans MattsOn was born at KristiOn-
Stad, Sweden, in 1882. His father was
Il farmer i'll good circumstances. Young
MattsOn enjoyed educational advan-
tages rather better than the average,
and improved them. He enlisted in the
artillery branch of the Swedish army
when seventeen and served two years,
APPLYING himself TO the study of mathe-
MATES meanwhile. He first set foot on
The American continent at Boston in
1851. when nineteen years of age. For
a year or so he knocked around between
Boston aud Buffalo, n. Y, working at
anything, served as cabin boy on
a Southern coast steamer, then
came West TO GaleSburg, LII.
Later he moved to Moline, ILL.,, and eX
perienceG there hardships which nearly
ended his life. Meanwhile his father
had Joined him. With few of their
Own nationality, he and his father came
10 Minnesota, and founded what is now
the Furnishing community of Nasa, in
GoOdhue county. Young MattSOn eX-
perienced the hardships common to
MinnesotianS in those pioneer days of
the state.
In 1851 Young Mattson found himself
stranded by the reaction from the fever
ish Western land speculationS. He was
persuaded to enter the law. He
read with Warren Bristol, Of Red
Wing, afterwards UnitedStates attorney
IN New Mexico. and tried his first case
before Judge, afterwards Senator, Nc
MILAN lDotit1oS attracted him and no
was elected auditor of GOOdhue county
the next year. He went to the war OH
the second call TOR troops as captain of
Company ID, Third regiment.
He served four years in the
war. rose to the rank of colonel. and
after MurfreeSbOrO, as senior officer, re-
ceived the surrender OF Gen. jeff
Thompson and command at 'BatesVille,
ARK.
In 1866 Col. MattsOn became editor of
Syenskca Amer.kaneram. lie was APP
pointed OH the state board of immigra-
ton and in 1869 was elected secretary of
state. In 1870 he helped to draft the
national law for the protection of immi-
grants. The next year he resigned the
Secretaryship of state to go to Europe
as financial agent for Jay Cooke, who
was then pushing the Northern Pa
CHIC railroad project. AIler Three years
spent mostly in Europe, Cooke fell and
Col. MattSOn came home to publish the
Stats Tidning in Minneapolis and also
as one of the editors of the Svenska
Tribunen, of Chicago. He was an the
newspaper business actively until 1881,
when he went to Calcutta as consul
general. His commission was the last
official document signed by President
Garfield after he was shot. Col. Matt
son resigned in 1883, came home, was
elected secretary of state and reelected
two years later.
For the past two or three years
Col. MattsOn had been engaged chiefly
in financial enterprises. He was pTeSi-
dent of the SwediSh-American bank. the
Security Loan and Investment company
and of Il company formed to build q
hotel in Chicago 10 accommodate worlds
fair visitors or limited means. He al
ways had a liking for the newspaper
business, and at the time of his death
was editOr-in-chief of the North. He
had dabbled some in literature. At least
one successful novel, "Minnen," was
written by him. His STORY of an Emf
grant, a narration of his own expert
enceS, reached such large sale in the
original Swedish that it was recently
republi5hed in English.