Albert Williams Johnson (November 28, 1872 – March 22, 1957) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, M.D. Pa.) is a district level federal court with jurisdiction over approximately one half of Pennsylvania. The court was created in 1901 by subdividing t ...

Education and career

Born in Weikert,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Johnson received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

in 1896 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in that year as well. He was an instructor in law at Bucknell University from 1902 to 1926. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1901 to 1902, and was a solicitor for the Borough of Lewisburg and Union County, Pennsylvania from 1908 to 1912. He was Presiding Judge for the 17th Judicial District of Pennsylvania from 1912 to 1922. He was solicitor for the

Pennsylvania Department of Education The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with publicly funded preschool, K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by ...

from 1922 to 1923.

Federal judicial service

Johnson received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...

from President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

on May 21, 1925, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Charles B. Witmer. He was nominated to the same position by President Coolidge on December 8, 1925. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 17, 1925, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on June 28, 1945, due to his resignation.

Resignation

By 1945, Johnson was under investigation by the

United States House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

for misconduct. In unusual language, they found he was a “wicked, evil and mendacious judge.” The report of the subcommittee also said that almost “every litigant who had the misfortune to appear before this wicked and malicious judge became the immediate object of a crooked conspiracy whose sole interest was the amount of money that could be extorted from him for justice or the evasion of justice.” Johnson resigned before impeachment.
, Filed: June 28th, 1948 , United States Court of Claims , Johnson v. United States, 79 F. Supp. 208 (Ct. Cl. 1948)

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Death

Johnson died on March 22, 1957.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Albert Williams 1872 births 1957 deaths People from Union County, Pennsylvania Bucknell University alumni Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania United States district court judges appointed by Calvin Coolidge 20th-century American judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes