San Francisco County
Biographies
CAPT.
WILLIAM MATSON
MATSON, CAPT.
WILLIAM, President, Matson Navigation Co., San Francisco,
was born in Sweden, October 18, 1849. Coming of a seafaring race, he has remained true
to his traditions, and by inherited industry, and not only his ability to make
his own opportunities, but also to improve them when made, he has won a leading
place in maritime and commercial circles on the Pacific
Coast.
Until he was fourteen
years old, he attended public schools in Sweden, but even then took an intermission of a year to go to
sea at the early age of ten. Returning to school, he stayed there until
1863, and then sailed for New
York in the Aurora, a Nova Scotian vessel.
After remaining a
short time there he took passage in the Bridgewater for San
Francisco, coming
around the Horn, and not long after his arrival secured a berth as sailor on
the old ship John J.
On this he took a
trip to Puget Sound and northern ports. He then transferred to the bark
Oakland, returning to the Sound, but after this trip became a
sailor on San
Francisco Bay on the schooner William Frederick. At the end of
two years he was captain of this vessel, engaged chiefly in carrying coal from
Mt. Diablo to the Spreckels Sugar Refinery, situated
then at Eighth and Brannan streets, where, it is interesting to note, Adolph Spreckels was at that time checking the cargoes Captain
Matson was delivering from his schooner. Captain Matson subsequently was
made captain of the schooner Mission
Canal, which he used for the same purpose.
In 1882 Captain
Matson built the Emma Claudina to run to the Sandwich Islands, and thenceforward the evolution from a comparatively
small business to the present extensive operations of the Matson Navigation
Company was rapid. The enterprise began in the carrying of merchandise,
especially of plantation stores, to the islands and returning with cargoes of
sugar. This led to gradually expanding interests at both ends of the line,
which kept pace with the commercial development of the country, with which
Captain Matson was ever in close touch. After three years he sold the Emma
Claudina and built the brig, Lurline,
for the same trade. Soon he had three vessels running, and to this little
fleet he constantly added, gradually replacing the sailing vessels with iron
and steam, as necessity dictated. Successively thereafter the flotilla was
increased by the Santiago, Roderick Dhu, Falls of
Clyde, Marion Chilcott, Monterey, all iron vessels,
and then the steamers Hilonian, Enterprise and Rosecrans. The last steamers built, within the past
few years, are the Lurline, named after his daughter,
the Hyades and the Wilhelmina, each of which vessel
has a carrying capacity of about nine thousand tons.
After the discoveries
of oil and the development of the industry, Captain Matson had some of his
sailing vessels converted into oil carriers, the first to be installed on this
coast, and about the same time became heavily interested in the oil business
itself. Together with William Crocker, William Irwin and John A. Buck he
built the pipe line from Gaviota to the Santa Maria oil fields, a distance of forty-five miles, and then
constructed one hundred and twelve miles more, from Coalinga to Monterey. At the end of four or five years, however, he sold
his oil interests to the Associated Oil Company; but a few years ago returned
to the fields, organized the Honolulu Consolidated Oil Company, and is now more
heavily interested than ever, his monthly payroll alone averaging about
$110,000.
For many years
Captain Matson was a director of the Merchants’ Exchange,
and for a period was president of the Chamber of Commerce, which absorbed the
former body. Although he gives most of his attention to his navigation and oil
interests he holds office in many corporations. He is president of the
Matson Navigation Co., Honolulu Consolidated Oil Co., Commercial Petroleum Co.,
Atlas Wonder Mining Co., Wonder Water Co; director of the National Ice Co.,
Honolulu Plantation Col, Paauhau Sugar Plantation
Co., Hakalau Plantation Co. and others. What
little recreation he permits himself he finds chiefly in horseback riding, automobiling and in cultivating his taste for fast
trotters, of which he owns some excellent performers. He has also found
time to join the clubs and is a member of the Pacific-Union, Bohemian and
Commonwealth.
One of the high
honors conferred upon Captain Matson was his appointment as consul of Sweden, giving him jurisdiction over the Pacific Coast, Alaska,
Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.
Transcribed 11-24-06 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press Reference Library, Western
Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 154, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.
1913.
© 2006 Marilyn R. Pankey.
California
Biography Project
San
Francisco County
California
Statewide
Golden
Nugget Library