Hans Mattson

Hans Mattson (December 23, 1832, Önnestad – March 5, 1893) was a Swedish American politician. He served with distinction as a colonel in the American Civil War (1861–65) and in 1869 became the Minnesota Secretary of State. He later served as United States Consul General in India.

Biography Mattson was born on a small farm in the parish of Önnestad in Skåne, Sweden. In 1851, he immigrated to the U.S. with a friend. He settled on a farm in an established Swedish community in Illinois in 1853 and brought his family from Sweden to join him. In August 1853, Mattson led a group of several hundred Swedish immigrants to settle in Goodhue County, Minnesota. The settlement was soon known as Vasa, and it became home to prominent Swedish Americans including Governor John Lind. Mattson left in 1856 for Red Wing.

Shortly after moving to Red Wing, Mattson was financially ruined by the panic of 1857. He and his wife, Christin (Peterson) Mattson (1837–1911) had to start over. After getting on his feet again, Mattson was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar and entered public life. He was elected city clerk of Red Wing in 1859 before becoming Goodhue County auditor.

As a booster, Mattson promoted Minnesota in Sweden and Norway. He also promoted the state to Scandinavian immigrant communities in the Eastern U.S. Mattson recruited immigrants to Minnesota by several means. He wrote for Swedish American newspapers; he encouraged immigrants to write letters to friends and family in Europe, and he published pamphlets about the benefits of Minnesota. During the course of his life, Mattson founded several Swedish newspapers in Chicago and Minneapolis, including the Minnesota Stats Tidning.

Hans Mattson c.1880'sIn 1870, Mattson was asked to run for Minnesota Secretary of State. Scandinavian influence in Minnesota was growing, and the Republican Party sought Swedish and Norwegian immigrants as candidates for office. Mattson was elected, becoming the first Swedish American elected to office in Minnesota. Mattson left the position in 1872, but he was re-elected and served again from 1887 to 1891. As a politician, Mattson promoted pan-Scandinavian unity, even though Swedish and Norwegian immigrants often were at odds.

Electoral history 1886

1888

Note This Wikipedia article is substantially built upon the essay "Mattson, Hans (1832–1893)" in MNopedia of the Minnesota Historical Society. Written by R.L. Cartwright, 2012 and licensed under CC by-sa. Imported on 3 November 2012.