Norma Louise Matheson was an American politician, political strategist, activist, and conservationist who served as the First Lady of Utah from 1977 until 1985.
24 Facts About Norma Matheson
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Norma Matheson met her future husband, Scott M Matheson, at the age of 16 while both were students at East High School.
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Norma Matheson raised the children while serving as president of the League of Women Voters.
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Scott Norma Matheson worked as a Salt Lake County Prosecutor and a lawyer for the Union Pacific Railroad before entering politics in 1976.
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That same year, incumbent Utah Governor Cal Rampton declined to seek re-election for a potential fourth term, leading Scott Norma Matheson to enter the gubernatorial election.
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Norma Matheson served as First Lady of Utah from 1977 to 1985 during the two terms of her husband.
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Norma Matheson focused on projects related to children, the elderly and education during her tenure as first lady.
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Norma Matheson visited every senior center in Utah to call attention to issues affecting the state's senior citizen population.
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Norma Matheson oversaw the restoration of the Utah Governor's Mansion, the official residence of the Governor and their families.
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Years after leaving the position, Norma Matheson assisted then-Governor Mike Mike Leavitt and First Lady Jackie Leavitt with their restoration efforts of the governor's residence following a fire in 1993.
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Scott Norma Matheson was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1989, which was believed to have been caused by radioactive fallout from nuclear testing in nearby Nevada.
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Scott M Matheson died from the illness on October 7,1990, at just 61-years old, leaving the former first lady a widow.
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Norma Matheson was highly active as a political strategist for the national and state Democratic Party, earning her the nickname "matriarch" of the Utah Democratic Party.
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Norma Matheson recruited and campaigned for candidates for state and national office.
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James David Norma Matheson won the 2000 congressional race and served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives.
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Norma Matheson served as a longtime member of the board of directors for The Nature Conservancy, an environmental organization.
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Norma Matheson advocated for the creation of new national monuments in Utah.
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Additionally, Norma Matheson served on the board of directors for the Grand Canyon Trust, which works to preserve the region surrounding the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau.
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Norma Matheson served on a number of other civic, governmental, education and philanthropic boards and committees.
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Norma Matheson headed the Scott M Matheson Leadership Forum, named for her husband, where she conducted interviews for Matheson Leadership Scholarship candidates, including for Ben McAdams.
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In 2013, Norma Matheson partnered with former Republican Utah Governor Mike Leavitt and businesswoman Gail Miller to create "Count My Vote", a bipartisan effort to push for state electoral reform.
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Norma Matheson died from complications of the illness on July 28,2019, at the age of 89.
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Norma Matheson was survived by her four children - United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit judge Scott Norma Matheson Jr.
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Norma Matheson was buried next to her husband in Parowan City Cemetery in Parowan, Utah.