100 Years Ago – Captain William Matson

One of the major news stories featured on the front page of the 11 October 1917 edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin was the passing of Captain William Matson at 0630 that morning at his home in San Francisco. He had suffered a stroke* the night before and never regained consciousness.

Born in Lysekil, Sweden in 1849, Captain Matson first went to sea at an early age. He left school at 14 and sailed for North America. He spent a short time in New York, then signed on with a vessel headed for San Francisco and arrived there in 1867.

After sailing as master of other peoples’ ships for a number of years, he finally became a shipowner himself in 1882 at the age of 33.

…[Captain Matson] with his first vessel, the Emma Claudina, entered the Hawaiian trade, carrying plantation stores and merchandise in and sugar out. Emma Claudina thus was the cornerstone, or perhaps more strictly speaking the keel, of the Matson Navigation Co. Three years after her launching she was sold, the brig Lurline having been built especially for the trade in her place. A fleet of iron windjammers was added, comprising the Santiago, Roderick Dhu, Falls of Clyde, [Marion] Chilcott and Monterey.

Keeping up with the times Capt. Matson took up steam vessels, the earliest acquisitions being the Enterprise, Hilonian and Rosecrans. Then followed in graduated modenity [sic] of construction and increase of size to meet the growing traffic in both passengers and freight the Lurline, Hyades, Wilhelmina, Matsonia, Manoa and Maui, the four last of about 9000 tons each. (“Capt. Matson’s Life One Long Period of Work.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 11 October 1917.)

Captain Matson’s business success was intertwined with the growth of commerce between Hawai‘i and other Pacific ports. In addition to shipping, he developed other commercial interests including petroleum products and sugar.

Captain Matson’s last visit to Hawai‘i was in April 1917, when he was a passenger on board Maui during her maiden voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu.

*He had suffered three previous strokes.

Soon after the Maui docked at Pier 15 (she was welcomed by a crowd of fully 2000 people) Capt. William Matson left the new flagship. Despite three strokes of paralysis he has suffered in the last year he was able to walk down the gangplank, assisted by Captain [Peter] Johnson, who supported his arm. Captain Matson and Mrs. Matson entered a waiting automobile which had been driven to the foot of the gangplank for them. (“Officers of Maui Well Pleased With New Liner’s Performance.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 13 April 1917.)