Matt Goetten (D-IL-13)

Matthew J. “Matt” Goetten

Matt Goetten Congressional Candidate Illinois District 13

Biography of Matt Goetten from Friends of Matt Goetten

Matt attended St. John’s Elementary and Carrollton High School. To earn money for college, he loaded trucks for Roadway Package Systems at night, graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. He earned his Master’s Degree in labor relations while raising a young family and working as a teaching assistant, librarian, and human resources consultant.

After college, Matt returned to Carrollton, where he became a small business owner and teacher before deciding to attend law school.

In 1999, while studying for his law degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Matt answered the call to serve his country, enlisting in the Illinois Army National Guard. In 2009, Matt was deployed to Afghanistan, where his duties included serving the legal needs of troops in remote operating bases throughout the country. Today, Matt serves as a Captain with the Illinois Air National Guard.

In 2004, Matt was elected Greene County State’s Attorney. Working with local law enforcement, Matt helped create a county drug task force that concentrated on fighting meth – drastically reducing the number of cases and aggressively cracking down on those who manufacture and sell meth and other drugs.

Matt’s primary concern as a prosecutor has been to protect the victims of crimes. To this end, he created a victim’s advocate in Greene County. He also worked with DCFS and local law enforcement to bring a child advocacy center to the area to serve Greene and the surrounding rural counties to combat child abuse.

By thinking creatively, Matt was able to expand the impact and capability of local law enforcement, without further burdening Greene County taxpayers.

Pledging to stand up for families who have worked hard and played by the rules but find themselves just one layoff, one illness, one bad break away from foreclosure, bankruptcy or financial ruin, Matt announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. He will work to end the partisan logjam in Washington and end the petty political squabbles currently holding back our economy. Matt believes it’s critical that we focus on creating jobs and moving our country forward again.

Matt and his wife Erin live in Carrollton with their two children. He volunteers his time assisting athletic programs in the local school district and has been a member of numerous local service organizations including the Lions, American Legion and Knights of Columbus.

Biography of Matt Goetten from The Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor

Matthew J. Goetten was elected and has served as the Greene County State’s Attorney since 2004. Prior to being elected to his current position, Matt served as both a staff attorney and a special prosecutor with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. He is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Oregon , and has clerked for a State District Judge in Idaho and for the Jackson County State’s Attorney in Illinois prior to being licensed. Matt also utilizes his legal experience in the military where he is a Judge Advocate General with the Illinois Army National Guard. He returned in 2009 from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where he acted as the Chief of Administrative Law for Task Force Phoenix. He is currently assigned to Joint Forces Headquarters in Springfield, Illinois.
Matthew Goetten graduated from the Southern Illinois School of law with honors and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in labor relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, Matt has received extensive legal training through the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Prior to becoming an attorney Matt was a business owner and educator in Carrollton, Illinois. He also worked for a time as a human resource consultant in Champaign, Illinois. His military assignments have been numerous over his 12-year career in the Illinois Army National Guard and have included time in Thailand and Afghanistan.
Matt, his wife, and two children live in Carrollton, Illinois, where he grew up, attended St. John’s Elementary School and Carrollton High School. He volunteers his time coaching basketball at St. John’s and is a member of numerous service organizations including Lions, American Legion, and Knights of Columbus.