Reeves Matheson
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| name = Reeves Matheson
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1952|}}
| birth_place = Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
| residence =
| office = MLA for Cape Breton East
| term_start = March 24, 1998
| term_end = July 27, 1999
| predecessor = John MacEachern
| successor = David Wilson
| party = New Democratic Party (1998)
Independent (1998–1999)
| religion =
| occupation = lawyer
}}
Reeves Matheson (born 1952) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1998 to 1999. He was a member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.{{cite web|url=https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/constituencies/pdfs/glace%20bay.pdf|title=Electoral History for Glace Bay|publisher=Nova Scotia Legislative Library|accessdate=2018-04-06}}
Early life and education
Born in 1952 at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Matheson was educated at Saint Mary's University, and Dalhousie Law School, where he graduated in 1976.{{cite book|last=Slayton|first=Philip|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o8K4L921yjEC&q=Reeves+Matheson+Glace+Bay&pg=PT228|title=Lawyers Gone Bad: Money Sex And Madness In Canada's Legal Profession|publisher=Penguin Canada|year=2008|isbn=9780143179658}}
He practiced law in Glace Bay, and served for ten years as town solicitor.
Political career
Matheson first attempted to enter provincial politics in a 1980 byelection for the Cape Breton East riding, where he placed second, losing to Progressive Conservative Donnie MacLeod by 1500 votes.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/By%20Election%201980.pdf|title=Return of By-election for the House of Assembly 1980|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|year=1980|page=16|accessdate=2015-04-20}}{{cite news|title=PC steals NDP seat in N.S. by-election|work=The Globe and Mail|date=December 3, 1980}} In the 1998 election, Matheson defeated his closest opponent by over 2100 votes to win the seat.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/Dist06.pdf|title=March 24, 1998 Nova Scotia Provincial General Election (Cape Breton East)|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|year=1998|accessdate=2015-04-20}} On April 2, 1998, Matheson was suspended by the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society for three months pending the outcome of an investigation into a complaint lodged by one of his clients.{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998/04/03+191.raw+PE98Apr3+2|title=Barristers society suspends MLA|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=April 3, 1998|accessdate=2015-04-20|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050123220705/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1998%2F04%2F03+191.raw+PE98Apr3+2|archivedate=January 23, 2005|url-status=dead}} On May 13, Matheson quit the NDP caucus to sit as an Independent.{{cite news|title=NDP loses MLA from its ranks: lawyer quits under cloud|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=May 14, 1998}} On June 1, Matheson was disbarred after admitting he took thousands of dollars from trust accounts.{{cite news|title=New MLA Matheson disbarred|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=June 2, 1998}}{{cite news|title=MLA ordered to pay damages|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 2, 1998}} On December 16, Matheson was charged with four counts of theft, four of fraud, 3 counts of uttering a forged document and one count of breach of trust.{{cite news|title=MLA charged with theft, fraud|work=The Globe and Mail|date=December 17, 1998}}{{cite news|title=Matheson faces a dozen charges: MLA allegedly stole from estate of dead woman, six people|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=December 17, 1998}} Matheson did not reoffer in the 1999 election.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/matheson-won-t-run-again-1.188705|title=Matheson won't run again|publisher=CBC News|date=June 23, 1999|accessdate=2015-04-20}}{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1999/07/10+148.raw+PE99Jul10+2|title=Jobs, Matheson hot topics in C.B. East race|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=July 10, 1999|accessdate=2015-04-20|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124083058/http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?1999%2F07%2F10+148.raw+PE99Jul10+2|archivedate=January 24, 2005|url-status=dead}} In November 2000, Matheson pleaded guilty to five charges,{{cite news|title=Matheson pleads guilty to 5 charges: ex-MLA stole over $100,000 from law clients|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=November 8, 2000}}{{cite news|title=Former member of NS legislature pleads guilty to charges including theft|work=Cape Breton Post|date=November 8, 2000}} and in April 2001 was given a conditional sentence of two years house arrest, and ordered to reimburse the Nova Scotia Barristers Society $117,000 for the money it gave back to the victims.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/reeves-matheson-gets-house-arrest-1.266966|title=Reeves Matheson gets house arrest|publisher=CBC News|date=April 11, 2001|accessdate=2015-04-20}}{{cite news|title=Matheson avoids jail: ex-MLA handed conditional sentence, restitution ordered|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=April 12, 2001}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matheson, Reeves}}
Category:Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MLAs
Category:Nova Scotia Independent MLAs
Category:People from Glace Bay
Category:Saint Mary's University (Halifax) alumni
Category:Schulich School of Law alumni
Category:20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly