Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/123

 JOHNSON

JOHNSON

JOHNSON, Herschel Vespasian, statesman, was born in Burke cuuuty, Ga., Sept. 8, 1812. He was graduated from the University of Georgia in 18:'4; studied law meantime under Judge Gould uf Augusta, was admitted to the bar, and practised in Augusta, Ga., 183-4-39. He re- moved to Jefferson county in" 1839, and entered politics as a Democrat during the Harrison and Van Buren contest in 18- 40, when he declined the nomination for repi'esentative in the 2Tth congress. He was nominated for the 28th congress in 1842, but was de- feated. He remov- ed to Milledgeville, the state capital, in 1844; refused to allow his name to stand for governor of the state in 1845, and again in 1847; was a Polk presi- dential elector in 1845, and was appointed U.S. senator in 1848 by Governor Towns to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Walter T. Colquitt, and served from Feb. 14, 1848, until March 8, 1849. He was a delegate to the Demo- cratic national conventions of 1848, 1852 and 1856; was circuit judge, 1849-53; was a Pierce and King elector for the state at large in 1851; and was governor of the state two terms, 1853-57. He was nominated for Vice-President of the United States by the Democratic national con- vention at Baltimore in 1860, on the ticket with Stephen A. Douglas for President, the ticket securing 12 electoral and 1,375,157 popular votes. He was opposed to the secession of Georgia, but after the state seceded, he was elected C.S. sen- ator, serving 1862-65. He inaugurated the peace movement in the south on the basis of state sovereignty in 1864 and was president of the state constitutional convention of October, 1805, that repealed the secession act, repudiated the state war debt of $18,000,000, and abolished slavery. He received tliirty-eight votes for U.S. senator in 1866. After the war he resumed his practice of the law, and was placed on the circuit bench for a term of eight years, serving 1873-80. He was married to Ann Fromentine (Polk) Walker, widow of Robert Walker, of Georgia, and seven of their nine children reached maturity. He died in Jefferson county, Ga., Aug. 16, 1880.

JOHNSON, Horace Chauncey, painter, was born in Oxford, Conn., Feb. 1, 1820; son of Almon and Luestra (Jordan) Johnson; grandson of Timothy and Amy (Terrell) Johnson, and a de-

scendant of Col. Ebenezer Johnson, of Derby, Conn. He attended school at Cheshire, Conn., and received his first instruction in art from Alfred H. Emmons, of Hartford, Conn., subsequently taking a course in the antique school of the Na- tional Academy of Design, New York city. In 1856 he went to Rome, Italy, where he received instruction from Ferraro; also studying at the English life school, and portrait-painting under William Page. He maintained studios in Rome, Italy, and at Waterbury, Conn. His works in- clude: Roman Mother (1857); Roman Peasants on the Campagna (1858); Grape Gatherers of Gensano (1858); Italian Kitchen (1865); Be- trothal of Joseph and Mary (1865); Italian Girls at the Fountain (1885); Azrael (1885); Rebecca at the Well (1886), all of which are figure paint- ings.

JOHNSON, Isaac, governor of Louisiana, was the son of a British officer who settled in the province of Louisiana during the Spanish regime. He was educated a lawyer, practised in West Feliciana parish and became popular and success- ful. He was a Democrat in politics; a represent- ative in the state legislature; judge of the third district, and in 1845 was elected governor of Lousiana as successor to Alexander Morton. He was inaugurated in 1846, and the same year is- sued a proclamation calling for volunteers to reinforce General Taylor on the Rio Grande. Thousands responded to his call, and these troops enabled General Taylor to captui-e Matamoras. He was a supporter of the public-school sj-stem, and during his administration the state house and penitentiary at Baton Rouge were com- pleted. At the close of his term in 1850 he re- turned to the practice of law. He died at the Verandah hotel. New Orleans, La., March 15, 1853.

JOHNSON, James, representative, was bora in Orange county, Va., Jan. 1, 1774; son of Robert Johnson, who removed to the " dark and bloody " ground of Kentucky in 1779, and settled in what is now Scott county. James served as a lieuten- ant-colonel in the war of 1812, and commanded the right wing of the U.S. forces in the battle of the Thames. He engaged in contracting to fur- nish the U.S. troops on the Mississippi and Mis- souri rivers with supplies, 1819-20. He was a Democratic representative from Kentucky in the 19th congress, 1825-26. He died at Great Cross- ings, Ky., Aug. 14, 1826.

JOHNSON, James, governor of Georgia, was born in Robeson county, N.C., Feb. 24, 1810; son of Peter and Nancy (McNeil) Johnson. His grandparents were immigrants from Scotland. His parents being unable to send him to college, lie borrowed money from a society of Presby- terian ladies and attended the University of Georgia. He was graduated in 1832, dividing the