Let’s get into a deep dive on more Utah power players and the deep webs of Utah’s shadows of power.
Responsible journalism must always help the public understand their public officials with both research and asking good questions. The journalists will have their own opinions and you must make up your own mind.
Defending Utah just did this post on Jordan Teuscher which led us to do a post about where the former director of the Point- Alan Matheson Jr. went. Whenever you pull on one thread of the power web, you will inevitably expose deeper connections.
Who is Alan Matheson Jr.?
Currently he is managing land and water resources at Rio Tinto Kennecott – not an ideal choice for the People, but certainly one for the uniparty “they.”
Before that he was the director of Utah’s 15 min smart city “The Point” – which he now calls an “innovation district.” Matheson previously served as executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, senior environmental policy advisor to Governor Gary R. Herbert. WOW. A “Democrat” who likes the green agenda was helping out a “Republican” on environmental matters (See the uniparty?). What could possibly go wrong?
“worked in the private sector focusing on regional planning and law, serving as executive director of Envision Utah, founding director of the Utah Water Project, shareholder in a Phoenix law firm, senior attorney and environmental policy advisor for Arizona’s largest electric utility, and law clerk for a federal Court of Appeals judge.”
Envision Utah, all the big elite players seem to be part of this group in Utah. I can only imagine how powerful a group like that is, how influential on policy in Utah.
His father Scott Matheson (former governor) and Cousin to Marion G. Romney who is first cousin once removed to Mitt Romney, was part of one of the groups that formed Envision Utah. Project 2000 and Coalition for Utah’s Future merged and created Envision Utah – we did a blog on that here. Don’t be fooled though, Norma, his mother, appears to be the real pusher. She was extremely political. You can look the family up, they have ties that go much further back than most Utahns have any clue about. Some quick history- Scott Milne Matheson (grandfather) was Chair of the Democratic National Policy Commission, and former U.S. state attorney for Utah. Scott Matheson Jr- first cousin to Marion G. Romney, was appointed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals by Obama.
Is Alan’s Rio Tinto stint just returning to an old family business?
“Hugh Mackay Matheson (23 April 1821 – 8 February 1898) was a Scottish industrialist, businessman and minister who was a senior partner in Matheson & Company and founder of the Rio Tinto corporation. He also supported Presbyterian missions to China.”
Then there is Jardine and Matheson:
“A portion of Matheson and Company’s original capital for the Rio Tinto purchase came from Jardine and Matheson, a business in which several family members held senior positions.”
Which has turned into something really eye popping:
“Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (also known as Jardines) is a Hong Kong–based, Bermuda-domiciled British multinational conglomerate. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange and Bermuda Stock Exchange.[3]“
Just as a side note the Matheson involved in the above here:
Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 November 1796 – 31 December 1878), was a Scottish opium trader and taipan. Born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, he was the son of Captain Donald Matheson.[1] He attended Edinburgh‘s Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh. He and William Jardine went on to co-found the Hong Kong-based trading conglomerate Jardine Matheson & Co. that became today’s Jardine Matheson Holdings.
Why do we bring this up? Jim is often short for James, and it is in Jim Matheson’s case. Jim Matheson who served as a representative in Utah’s house from 2001-2015 then ran and won the 4th district seat from 2103-2015, he is Alan’s brother.
RIO TINTO
Ownership of Rio Tinto changed:
“Hugh Matheson and his financial partners controlled Rio Tinto until the late 1880s, when the London and Paris Rothschilds gained control.”
Now, are Alan Matheson Jr. and Hugh Matheson related? Unknown. Matheson’s grandfather Scott Milne Matheson is from Scottish immigrants, so it is a high possibility they were. None the less DU has not been able to confirm.
With that said, the history of Rio Tinto is fascinating. Rothschilds and Rockefellers are involved. There are several companies being sold to others and Tinto buying up pieces etc. As time goes on they have pretty much bought up and control most of the mining companies and or mining land.
“The Rio Tinto Mining Corporation, the world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation, has an estimated value of $103 billion. Founded in 1873, the Rothschilds were able to expand the mining corporation through a long series of mergers and acquisitions. Rio Tinto itself has specialized its operations in refining bauxite and iron ore.” source
Now I’m sure you’re asking how are the Rockefellers involved?
2024 – “Quarter-by-quarter ownership of Rio Tinto (RIO) shares owned by Rockefeller Capital Management from 13F filings” source
Then in 2025- “Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lessened its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO – Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 176,139 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 26,067 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Rio Tinto Group were worth $10,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.” Source
What makes this all the more interesting is the “Rothschild Reserves” now the “Wildlife Trusts” as of May 1912- make note of that date there.
It’s not just the wildlife trust either- let’s look at the Nature Conservancy and “innovative bonds:
Remember innovation and innovative are two of Alan Matheson Jr.’s favorite words.
So how did Kennecott end up in Rio Tinto’s hands? Let’s take a look. Utahrails.net does an amazing history timeline breakdown. Below are some highlights:
“The sale of Kennecott by BP to RTZ would allow BP to buy back the 22 per cent interest in BP held by the government of Kuwait. The reported figure for both transactions was $4.3 billion. The government of Kuwait, through its Kuwait Investment Office, purchased over a period of a few months, 21.6 per cent of BP, which was a portion of the 31.5 per cent of BP that was sold by the British government in October 1987 as part of Margaret Thatcher’s move to privatize companies in which the government held a financial interest (the sale raised $12 billion for the British government). Concerns were soon raised by BP management and British politicians about foreign ownership of a British company, and in October 1988, Kuwait was allowed three years to reduce its ownership of BP, a total of 1.3 billion shares. (New York Times, October 5, 1988; January 4, 1989)”
“The following comes from an earlier Rio Tinto company history web page, now no longer available:
RTZ Corporation had its roots in the Rio Tinto Company organized in 1873 to mine the ancient copper works at Rio Tinto, Spain. In 1962 the Rio Tinto Company merged with The Consolidated Zinc Corporation, which had been organized in 1905 to treat zinc bearing tailings at Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia. Rio Tinto had previously disposed of two-thirds of its Spanish interests in 1954, and the remainder was also disposed, making the zinc interests in Australia the focus of the new Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation’s activities. Following the 1962 merger, RTZ developed a number of major projects in South Africa, Namibia, and Portugal. It also grew through acquisitions, including the Borax group in 1968.
Between 1968 and 1985 significant interests in cement, chemicals, oil and gas and manufactured products were also developed. A major review of corporate strategy between 1987 and 1988 led to a series of disposals and acquisitions which refocused the company on mining and related activities. Between 1988 and 1994 non mining businesses were sold as going concerns, and interests in mining acquired. These included the 1989 acquisition of the major part of British Petroleum’s international minerals businesses [including Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon copper mine], and the 1993 acquisition of the Nerco and Cordero coal mining businesses in the US [in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin].”
“February 1997
In an news item about the retirement of Bob E. Cooper, who had served as CEO and president of Kennecott Corporation since 1993, it was shown that Kennecott Corporation had three subsidiary companies as part of its North American operations: Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation; Kennecott Minerals Company; and Kennecott Energy Company. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 7, 1997)March 1997
RTZ closed its offices in downtown Salt Lake City as part of its global restructuring to reorganize the company along product lines – copper, iron ore, gold, aluminum – rather than along geographical lines that saw the North American group (the former BP Minerals America) manage of copper and coal properties, and the Australia group also manage copper and coal properties. Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation would report directly to RTZ in London, instead of Kennecott Corporation (the former BP Minerals America) in Salt Lake City. All parties in the RTZ copper group, including its mines in Brazil and Chile in South America, would also report directly to RTZ in London. The coal group would report to offices in Melbourne in Australia. The change meant that the 75 employees of Kennecott Corporation would no longer have jobs. The change would have no effect on the operations of Kennecott Utah Copper, which had its offices in Magna. (Deseret News, March 19, 1997)”“June 2, 1997 RTZ Corporation changed its name to Rio Tinto.”
“The last train of ore was loaded in the mine in March 2000, with the ore being moved by train to the North Complex (Bonneville crusher and Magna mill), supplementing the Copperton mill. The North Complex was shut down in 2001, and all railroad operations between the mine and the smelter ended in June 2001. In December 2001, Kennecott shut down its railroad operations in the vicinity of the refinery and smelter at Garfield, and the operations have been contracted out since that time.”
Is that winning Utah? Was that a good deal? I’ll let you decide. Something to look into if you are concerned with America, and Utah losing it’s manufacturing and self-sufficiency ability is what has happened to the coal plants and steel plant in Utah. Will be extremely eye opening especially with what I just covered.
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