Charles Fletcher Johnson (February 14, 1859 – February 15, 1930) was a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
and a
United States circuit judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Maine
* District of Massachusetts
* ...
.
Johnson was nominated by President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
on October 1, 1917, to a seat vacated by
William LeBaron Putnam
William LeBaron Putnam (May 26, 1835 – February 5, 1918) was a lawyer and politician in Maine. Putnam served as mayor of Portland, Maine from 1869–70 and later served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for ...
. 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 October 1, 1917, and received commission the same day. Assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on April 30, 1929. Johnson's service was terminated on February 15, 1930, due to death.
Education and career
Born on February 14, 1859, in
Winslow Winslow may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish
* Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974
United States and Canada
* Rural Municipality of Winslo ...
,
Kennebec County,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
,
Johnson attended the common schools and
Waterville Classical Institute.
He received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1879 from
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
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 1886.
He was principal of the high school of
Machias,
Washington County, Maine from 1881 to 1886.
He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in
Waterville, Maine from 1886 to 1911.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for
Governor of Maine
The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.
The current governor of Maine is Ja ...
in 1892 and 1894.
He was elected Mayor of Waterville in 1893, but left that office in 1894.
History of Mayors
City of Waterville, Maine He was a member of the Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...
in 1905 and 1907.
Congressional service
Johnson was elected as a Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to 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 ...
in 1910 and served from March 4, 1911, until March 3, 1917. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1916. He was Chairman of the Committee on National Banks (63rd United States Congress
The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, to ...
), Committee on Fisheries (64th United States Congress
The 64th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915, to M ...
) and the Committee on Pensions (64th United States Congress).
Federal judicial service
Johnson was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
on October 1, 1917, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Maine
* District of Massachusetts
* ...
vacated by Judge William LeBaron Putnam
William LeBaron Putnam (May 26, 1835 – February 5, 1918) was a lawyer and politician in Maine. Putnam served as mayor of Portland, Maine from 1869–70 and later served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for ...
. 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 October 1, 1917, and received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on April 30, 1929. His service terminated on February 15, 1930, due to his death while on a visit to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He was interred in Pine Grove Cemetery in Waterville.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Charles Fletcher
Bowdoin College alumni
1859 births
1930 deaths
Democratic Party members of the Maine House of Representatives
Democratic Party United States senators from Maine
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Mayors of Waterville, Maine
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson
20th-century American judges
People from Winslow, Maine