Matt Johnson was a newspaper publisher and a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 politician from North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

 who served in the North Dakota House of Representatives

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....

 from 1909 to 1910. He was from Omemee, North Dakota

Omemee, North Dakota

Omemee is a ghost town in Bottineau County in the U.S. State of North Dakota. It was a railroad hub in the early 1910s, located at the junction of two major railroads, the Soo Line Railroad and the Great Northern Railway. Incorporated as a city in 1902, Omemee has been abandoned since the late...

, and served as publisher and editor of the Omemee Herald in that town.

Early life

Johnson was born in Northwood

Northwood, Iowa

Northwood is a city in Worth County, Iowa, United States, along the Shell Rock River. The population was 2,050 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Worth County.Northwood is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, February 1, 1872. He moved to Dakota Territory

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 North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...

 with this family in 1879, where they settled in Caledonia

Caledonia, North Dakota

Caledonia is a census-designated place in Traill County, North Dakota in the United States. A former boomtown of the 1870s and the era of the Hudson's Bay Company steamship trade, the community has now all but virtually disappeared....

 in Traill County

Traill County, North Dakota

Traill County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The 2010 census listed the population at 8,121. Its county seat is Hillsboro, and its largest city is Mayville.-History:...

. He moved to Omemee

Omemee, North Dakota

Omemee is a ghost town in Bottineau County in the U.S. State of North Dakota. It was a railroad hub in the early 1910s, located at the junction of two major railroads, the Soo Line Railroad and the Great Northern Railway. Incorporated as a city in 1902, Omemee has been abandoned since the late...

 in 1901 and purchased the Omemee Herald in 1905.

Political career

Johnson was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the North Dakota House of Representatives

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....

 in 1908, and served just one term. He represented North Dakota's 28th legislative district alongside Edward L. Garden

Edward L. Garden

Edward Lorenzio Garden was a Republican member of the North Dakota House of Representatives and the North Dakota Senate. He represented Bottineau County in the North Dakota's 28th legislative district.-Early life:...

 of Souris, North Dakota

Souris, North Dakota

Souris is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 58 at the 2010 census. Souris was founded in 1901.-Geography:Souris is located at in the central part of the county...

.