Andrew Johnston (23 May 1835 – 28 February 1922) was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician in England.

Life

Johnston was the son of the abolitionist Priscilla (born Buxton) and Andrew Johnston,Clare Midgley, ‘Buxton , Priscilla (1808–1852)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 201
accessed 25 June 2017
/ref> MP of Holton Halesworth, Sussex, Member of Parliament for

Anstruther Easter Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther Eas ...

and St Andrews Burghs. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

and

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

. Andrew junior was elected at the 1868 general election as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for the Southern division of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, one of two Liberals elected unopposed in the first election after the county had been restructured by the

Representation of the People Act 1867 The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 (known as the Reform Act 1867 or the Second Reform Act) was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first ...

from two divisions to four. Faced with a contest at the 1874 general election, Johnston was the lowest placed of four candidates, and both seats were won by

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

candidates. He did not stand for

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again. Defeat in Parliament allowed him to concentrate on Essex affairs. He was appointed

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1866, and served as

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

for 1880–81. When the

Essex County Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...

was set up in 1889, he was unanimously elected its first chairman, an office he occupied well into advanced years, resigning only in 1916. His service of 27 years in the chair has never been equalled, and his portrait holds pride of place in Committee Room no2 of the present council. In private life, Johnston married Charlotte Ann, the daughter of the Rev. George Trevalyan. They had one daughter, who died in childhood. Johnston was a keen exponent of

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

, and founded the Wilfrid Lawson Temperance Hotel at

Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...

, where he lived. He was a

verderer Verderers are forestry officials in England who deal with common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of the Crown. The office was developed in the Middle Ages to administer forest law on behalf of the King. Verderer ...

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

1878–1887. He died on 28 February 1922, and at his funeral service, the Bishop of Chelmsford said he was a "man who was what he appeared to be, and appeared to be what he was". The amplest account of his later life is to be found in Richard Morris, ''The Verderers and Courts of Waltham Forest in the County of Essex 1250-2000'', Loughton 2004.

References

External links

* 1835 births 1895 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 High Sheriffs of Essex Members of Essex County Council People educated at Rugby School People from Woodford, London {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub