David Emmons Johnston (April 10, 1845 – July 7, 1917) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

who served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1899 to 1901.

Early life

Johnston was born near

Pearisburg, Virginia Pearisburg is a town in Giles County, Virginia. The population was 2,786 at the time of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. Pearisburg is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Pea ...

, in 1845.

Career

In April 1861, he enlisted in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and served four years in the

7th Virginia Infantry Regiment The 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The 7th Virginia was organized in May, ...

, Kemper's brigade of

Pickett Pickett is an English surname. It is a variant form of Pigott. Notable people with the surname include: * Adarius Pickett (born 1996), American football player * Albert J. Pickett (1810–1858), American historian * Allison Deforest Pickett (190 ...

’s division. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in Giles County in 1867. He began practicing in

. He moved to

Mercer County, West Virginia Mercer County is a county on the southeastern border of the U.S. state of West Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 59,664. Its county seat is Princeton. The county was originally established in the State of Virginia by act of its G ...

, in 1870. Johnston served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

from 1872 to 1876. He served as a member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the ...

in 1878 but soon resigned. From 1880 to 1888, he was a judge on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901). His candidacy in 1900 for re-election was unsuccessful. He moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, in 1908 and resumed the practice of law.

Personal life

He died in Portland on July 7, 1917, and was buried in Mount Scott Park Cemetery, which is now Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery.

Sources

September 2007.

External links

The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War.
Portland, Or.: Glass & Prudhomme Co., c1914. *
1845 births 1917 deaths Confederate States Army soldiers County prosecuting attorneys in West Virginia Lawyers from Portland, Oregon People from Pearisburg, Virginia People from Mercer County, West Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia lawyers West Virginia circuit court judges West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party West Virginia state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers {{US-Congress-stub

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

Sources

External links