James Johnson (politician, 1811)

James Johnson

James Johnson (born February 12, 1811 in Robeson County , North Carolina , † November 20, 1891 in Chattahoochee County , Ohio ) was an American politician and provisional governor of Georgia in 1865.

resume

Johnson studied law at the University of Georgia until 1832 . After his admission to the bar, he opened a law firm in Columbus in 1835 , and later also worked as a public prosecutor. In 1851 he was elected to the US House of Representatives. He stayed there until 1853. As a Unionist, he was against Georgia leaving the Union.

After the Civil War he was named Provisional Governor of Georgia by President Andrew Johnson . He held this office from June to October 1865. His task was to rebuild the state administration, which had collapsed after the war. He remained in office until a constituent assembly was called in October. This assembly repealed the 1861 Secession Resolution and passed a new constitution for Georgia. James Johnson ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States Senate in 1866 .

Between 1866 and 1869, Johnson was a tax collector in Savannah . From 1869 to 1875 he served as a judge in the Georgia High Court. After leaving this office, he worked as a lawyer again. He died on November 20, 1891 on his plantation in Ohio.

Web links

• James Johnson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• National Governors Association (English)
• James Johnson in the database of Find a Grave (English)