Marjorie Matson (1913-1980) was a well-known lawyer and civil libertarian. In 1932, she joined the League for Social Justice and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She was active in the Pennsylvania Security League from 1934 to 1936, which promoted better working conditions in the state, and served as the secretary for the Joint Committee of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). After receiving a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1937, she became an assistant county solicitor in 1941, the first woman in Allegheny County to occupy that position. After World War II she was active in various community organizations, including the Berkely Hills Volunteer Fire Department and the White Oak Heights Women's Club. In 1947 she became an assistant district attorney, another position that had never been occupied by a woman before. Matson became active in the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1942, and served as the local representative and chair for some years after. The group later recognized her with its first annual Civil Libertarian Award. She was also a member of Americans for Democratic Action and the Allegheny Council on Civil Rights and was involved in several controversial court cases. She took a leave of absence from her job as assistant district attorney in 1950 due to allegations of communist sympathy brought by Charles J. Margiotti, the state attorney general. When the allegations against her were cleared in 1951 she returned to the position until 1952, when Republican James F. Malone became district attorney. J. Warren Matson (1905-1983) was especially known for his social work and community activities in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. Matson earned an engineering degree in 1933 and a Master's degree in social work in 1938, both from the University of Pittsburgh. During the Depression, Matson spent two years working for the WPA on the Transient Bureau Farm in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was employed as an engineer for the Union Switch & Signal Company from 1933 through 1936. In 1939, Matson worked for the probation office of Allegheny County. From 1940-1961, he worked for the Pittsburgh City Housing Authority, dealing with tenant selection problems. Matson founded Hill Opportunity Progress and Education (HOPE), an organization which addressed economic and housing problems in Pittsburgh's Hill District. He also helped to establish the Action Coalition of Elders, an organization which helped provide support services for the elderly.
From the description of Papers of Marjorie and J. Warren Matson, 1942-1980. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 30263535
