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Francois Xavier Matthieu was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1818. Following his participation in a French-Canadian rebellion against British rule in 1837, he fled to the United States, eventually making his way to the Oregon Territory in 1842. In May 1843, he participated in meetings that were held at Champoeg, Oregon, to determine whether or not to form a provisional government. Decades later, Matthieu's recollections were used to determine the site of a memorial dedicated to the meetings.

Matthieu attempted to make money in the California Gold Rush in 1849, but these efforts proved unsuccessful. He filed a Donation Land Claim in Marion County, Oregon, and founded the town of Butteville in 1851. He operated a general goods store in Butteville during the 1850s and 1860s. Matthieu was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Democratic representative of Marion County in 1874 and 1878. He was also the first president of the Oregon Pioneer Association.

Matthieu married Rosalie Aussaunt in 1844, and the couple had 15 children. He lived in Portland, Oregon, in his later years. Matthieu died in February 1914 at the home of one of his daughters in Butteville. At the time of his death, he was the longest-surviving participant of the Champoeg Meetings.