Matthew Cooper was born in 1850 to Charlotte and Ethan Cooper. After his mother's death he was reluctant to embrace Michaela as his mother or guardian. Matthew eventually grew to respect and love Michaela; however, they still have the occasional disagreement.
Ingrid, a Swedish immigrant moved to Colorado Springs, and she and Matthew fell in love. They planned to marry, but their plans were shattered when Ingrid died of rabies after being bitten by Brian's pet dog "Pup".
After Ingrid's death, Matthew became an emotional wreck for quite some time. Emma, one of Hank's girls, broke down the walls that Matthew had built after losing Ingrid, and he fell in love again only to lose her when she left town to become a dress maker for Gilda St. Clair.
Matthew decided to enter the race for sheriff against Hank and won. As sheriff he was faced with many complicated issues such as gun control and capital punishment. Matthew, however grew tired of divided loyalties and quit his job as sheriff to join Dr. Mike and Daniel in the search for Sully.