Joel Aldrich Matteson
Joel Aldrich Matteson was a Democratic politician and governor.
Contents
History
Matteson served as governor of Illinois for 1853 to 1857. He narrowly lost a senatorial seat in 1854; the contest involving Trumbull, Lincoln, and Shields resolved with Lincoln throwing his support behind Trumbull.
His single term as governor was overshadowed by the Canal Scrip Fraud scandal. He fraudulently redeemed scrip that had been issued to fund the Illinois-Michigan Canal. The investigation was closed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature in 1859 when he returned the funds.