Matthew did quite well for himself. After marrying his wife, Olive Murphy, Matthew got involved in Democratic politics, and eventually worked his way up to ward boss. Like so many other politicians of the time, Matthew held onto his position by handing out patronage. If a local man wanted a job in a factory, Matthew would get it for him. If a woman wanted to keep her son from going to jail for robbery, Matthew would buy off the judge. All of these favors came with the understanding that when election day came everyone in the ward would vote for Matthew O'Dore.