Joseph Johnson (Governor)

Joseph Johnson

Joseph "O Long" Johnson (born December 19, 1785 in Orange County , New York , † February 17, 1877 in Bridgeport , West Virginia ) was an American politician and from 1852 to 1856 governor of the state of Virginia . He also represented his state between 1823 and 1847 several times, with interruptions, in the US House of Representatives .

Early years

In 1791 Joseph Johnson came to Belvidere , New Jersey with his mother . In 1801 the family moved to Bridgeport, which was then part of Virginia, but is now part of West Virginia. There Johnson worked in agriculture. During the British-American War of 1812 he was captain of a company from Virginia.

Political rise

Johnson was a member of the Virginia House of Representatives from 1815 to 1816 and from 1818 to 1822 . Between 1823 and 1827 he was a member of the US Congress for the first time for two terms . At that time he became a member of the Democratic Party founded by Andrew Jackson . During this time he was chairman of the Committee on Control of Public Buildings Spending.

In 1826 he failed to be re-elected to this body. After the death of Philip Doddridge , he briefly returned to the US House of Representatives between January 21 and March 3, 1833. After a two-year hiatus, he was re-elected to this Chamber of Parliament. This time he exercised his mandate for three legislative terms between March 4, 1835 and March 3, 1841. During this time he was chairman of the Committee on Accounts . In 1840 he turned down a new candidacy for Congress. In 1844 Johnson was a delegate at the federal party conference of the Democrats , at which James K. Polk was surprisingly nominated as an outsider as their presidential candidate.

Further political career

Between March 4, 1845 and March 3, 1847, Joseph Johnson was again a member of the US House of Representatives. During this time he was chairman of the committee that dealt with claims from the War of Independence . He was a member of the Virginia House of Representatives in 1847 and 1848. After that he temporarily devoted himself to his agricultural interests. In 1850 and 1851 he was a delegate to a meeting to revise the Virginia Constitution. After this reform, the governor of Virginia was directly elected by the people and no longer by the legislature as before. Johnson became the state's first governor in 1851 to be elected to the highest office in his state. He took up this position on January 1, 1852 and was able to exercise it until January 1, 1856. During his tenure, the railroad expansion, especially in the western parts of Virginia, advanced. In addition, the road network was expanded.

His reign was overshadowed by the national conflict between the northern and southern states and the question of slavery . Virginia was on the border of the two blocks. The internal division of the state later also manifested itself politically: the West declared itself independent and joined the Union under the name West Virginia, while the rest of Virginia was to become part of the Confederate States and, with Richmond, even provided its capital. After the end of his tenure, Johnson withdrew from politics. He died in February 1877. Joseph Johnson was the uncle of Waldo P. Johnson , who represented Missouri in the US Senate between 1861 and 1862 .

Web links

• Joseph Johnson in the National Governors Association
• Joseph Johnson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)