Matheson honored at Democratic fundraiser

Matheson honored at Democratic fundraiser

(Chelsea Allder/Deseret News)


15 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Congressman Jim Matheson, who served for seven terms in a "sea of Republicans," received a lifetime achievement award from the state Democratic party, Saturday.

“I wonder if the Larkin folks have the hearse parked out next to the building,” Matheson joked to a crowd of almost 500 gathered in the Imperial Ballroom at the Grand America Hotel, before adding that his service in the state was the "privilege of a lifetime."

If political buzz about Matheson's prospects as a possible candidate for governor or U.S. Senate in 2016 is any indication, the former Congressman's political career is far from over.

State Democratic party chairman Peter Corroon, former mayor of Salt Lake County, awarded Matheson with the first Chairman's Legacy Award because of his outstanding service to the Democratic Party and state in what he called "a sea of Republicans."

“I think Jim Matheson's a great example of a representative who truly represented the state. He didn’t care whether people were Democrats or Republicans and he didn’t always care whether the Democrat party supported what he was doing. He did what was best for the state and we can all acknowledge that and thank him for it,” Corroon said before Matheson received the award.

Former Congressman Jim Matheson speaks after receiving the Chairman's Legacy Award during a tribute hosted by the Utah Democratic Party at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. (Photo: Chelsey Allder, Deseret News)
Former Congressman Jim Matheson speaks after receiving the Chairman's Legacy Award during a tribute hosted by the Utah Democratic Party at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. (Photo: Chelsey Allder, Deseret News)

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. told those gathered that Matheson always "found ways to cut through" political gridlock while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Other notable figures at the gala included Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, state Democratic Party vice chairwoman Josie Valdez and Elder Bruce A. Carlson of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Matheson was Utah's only Democrat in Congress for 14 years before deciding in Dec. 2013 to not seek an eighth term. Before his time in office he worked in the energy field and on environmental policy for several companies and eventually started his own energy consulting firm.

His father, Scott Matheson, served as governor of the state for two terms and his mother, Norma, as first lady. Matheson's wife, Amy, is a pediatrician in Salt Lake and they have two sons.

During his term in office, Matheson visited hundreds of businesses, service organizations and schools in his district. He was an advocate for radiation victims of atomic testing during the Cold War era, helped bring an airport to St. George and worked with GOP Sen. Bob Bennett on a major public lands bill among other achievements.

In his conversations with people across the state, Matheson heard that people are "looking for pragmatic voices. They’re not looking for this ideological extreme they’re getting out of both parties these days. They’re really looking for just voices of reason. And I think that’s who I am and that’s the key to my success," he said. "I think that everyone in politics ought to take note of that."


To me public service means you proudly assume the duty to make a difference.

–Jim Matheson, former congressman


Matheson expressed thanks to all those who helped him, saying he was "proud of all we accomplished and I'm also proud of all the people who did it with me." He called for those present to "(lead) from the center" and "(bring) people together."

"To me public service means you proudly assume the duty to make a difference."

Recently the former Congressman joined Squire Patton Boggs, a firm that Matheson admitted was well-established in Washington, D.C. but has a presence in 21 countries. He declined to speak about his future political aspirations, other than to say that he planned to stay involved in public policy.

Corroon said he had "political aspirations for Jim Matheson," who he hopes will either run for senate or governor.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Whitney Evans

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast