Matt Johnson (1872 – 1935) was an American newspaper publisher and politician from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

who served as a member of the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...

from 1909 to 1910.

Early life

Mathias Johnson was born on February 1, 1872, in

Northwood, Iowa Northwood is a city in Worth County, Iowa, United States, along the Shell Rock River. The population was 2,072 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Worth County. Northwood is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical ...

. He was a son of Knute W. Johnson and Mathia (Amundson) Johnson, both of whom were natives of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

with this family in 1879, where they settled in

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

in Traill County.

Career

Johnson began his career in publication with a paper at Caledonia and was later employed at Shelly and

Halstad, Minnesota Halstad is a city in Norman County, Minnesota. The population was 564 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is known for its production of sugar beets, and has a statue of a sugar beet, known as the world's largest sugar beet, to commemorate ...

. He moved to Omemee, North Dakota in 1901 and purchased the ''Omemee Herald'' in 1905. Johnson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

in 1908, and served just one term. He represented the 28th legislative district together with Edward L. Garden of

Souris, North Dakota Souris is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 37 at the 2020 census. Souris was founded in 1901. Geography Souris is in the central part of the county. It is named after the Souris River, which flows thro ...

Personal life

Johnson died in 1935 and was buried at Caledonia Cemetery in

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census listed the population at 7,997. Its county seat is Hillsboro, and its largest city is Mayville. History The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on ...

References

1872 births 1935 deaths People from Worth County, Iowa Members of the North Dakota House of Representatives American people of Norwegian descent {{NorthDakota-politician-stub