Joseph Matheson was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada. He represented Richmond County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 from 1886 to 1897. He was a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 for the Richmond riding from 1900 to 1904.

He was born in Grand River, Nova Scotia

Grand River, Nova Scotia

Grand River is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Richmond County.-References:*...

, the son of Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 immigrants, and married Maria S., the daughter of Josiah Hooper, a former member of the Nova Scotia assembly, in 1864. Matheson was postmaster for Lower L'Ardoise

L'Ardoise, Nova Scotia

L'Ardoise is a small community located on Nova Scotia Route 247 in Richmond County on Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada.-References:*...

from 1866 to 1886.