George William Johnson (November 10, 1869 – February 24, 1944) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as

United States Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

Early life

He was born near

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. ...

, in Jefferson County on November 10, 1869. He attended the common schools and

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the university enrolled 3,159 students in Fall 2020. History Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson ...

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of ...

Career

Law

Johnson graduated from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

at Morgantown in 1894 and from the law department of the same university in 1896. He 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 ...

and practiced law in Martinsburg. He served as

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

of Martinsburg and then moved to

Parkersburg Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...

in 1900, continuing to practice law. Johnson served as a member of the

board of regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...

of the State

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

from 1897 to 1900. He served as

Referee in Bankruptcy A Referee in Bankruptcy or Bankruptcy Referee was a federal official with quasi-judicial powers, appointed by a United States district court to administer bankruptcy proceedings, prior to 1979. The office was first created by the Bankruptcy Act o ...

for the United States District Court of West Virginia and general counsel to the West Virginia Public Service Commission. During this time he also grew

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and raised

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

Politics

left, 250px, Group of legislators leaves White_House_after_asking_Franklin_D._Roosevelt_for_$80,000,000_for_flood_control_in_Ohio_Valley.html" ;"title="Franklin_D._Roosevelt.html" ;"title="White House after asking Franklin D. Roosevelt">White House after asking Franklin D. Roosevelt for $80,000,000 for flood control in Ohio Valley">Franklin_D._Roosevelt.html" ;"title="White House after asking Franklin D. Roosevelt">White House after asking Franklin D. Roosevelt for $80,000,000 for flood control in Ohio Valley, March 7, 1938. front: l-r Joseph A. Dixon, James G. Polk, Eugene B. Crowe, G W Johnson, Lawrence E. Imhoff, rear l-r : Peter J. De Muth, Kent E. Keller, Brent Spence. Johnson was elected in 1922 to the 68th United States Congress, 68th Congress, only serving two years as his bid for re-election in 1924 was unsuccessful. He was elected in 1932 to the 73rd United States Congress, 73rd Congress, and this time won re-election to the four succeeding Congresses. His re-election bid in 1942 was not successful.

Death

He died in Martinsburg on February 24, 1944, and was buried in Edgehill Cemetery in Charles Town.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, George William 1869 births 1944 deaths People from Charles Town, West Virginia Politicians from Parkersburg, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers Shepherd University alumni West Virginia University College of Law alumni Politicians from Martinsburg, West Virginia West Virginia city attorneys Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia Lawyers from Martinsburg, West Virginia