Hugh Samuel Johnson (August 5, 1882 – April 15, 1942) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
officer, businessman, speech writer, government official and newspaper columnist. He was a member of the
Brain Trust
Brain trust was a term that originally described a group of close advisers to a political candidate or incumbent; these were often academics who were prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of ad ...
of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
from 1932 to 1934. He wrote numerous speeches for FDR and helped plan the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
. Appointed head of the
National Recovery Administration
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...
(NRA) in 1933, he was highly energetic in his "blue eagle" campaign to reorganize American business to reduce competition and raise wages and prices. Schlesinger (1958) and Ohl (1985) conclude that he was an excellent organizer, but that he was also domineering, abusive, outspoken, and unable to work harmoniously with his peers. He lost control of the NRA in August 1934.
Early life
![Distservmedal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Distservmedal.jpg)
He was born in
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...
in 1882
[Hamby, ''For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of the 1930s,'' 2004, p. 144.] to Samuel L. and Elizabeth (née Mead) Johnson.
[White, ''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography,'' 1967, p. 5.]
His paternal grandparents, Samuel and Matilda (MacAlan) Johnson, emigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1837 and originally settled in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
Hugh's father was a lawyer, and he attended public school in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, before the family moved to
Alva,
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...
.
He attempted to run away from home to join the
Oklahoma state militia at the age of 15, but he was apprehended by his family before he left town.
[Crawford, "He Risked Disgrace to Speed the Draft," ''New York Times,'' June 9, 1918.] His father promised to try to secure him an appointment to the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
(West Point), and was successful in obtaining an alternate appointment.
Johnson himself discovered that the individual who was first in line for the appointment was too old, and convinced him to step aside so that Johnson could enter the academy.
Military career
Johnson entered West Point in 1899,
[Cullum, ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates...'', 1920, p. 1044.][Howard, "Our Twenty-one Generals of Forty Years and Under," ''New York Times,'' August 24, 1919.] and graduated and was commissioned a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
1st Cavalry on June 11, 1903.
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
was one of his West Point classmates.
From 1907 to 1909 he was stationed at
Pampanga
Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, but later was transferred to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
In the early years of the 20th century, most
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
s in the United States were administered by units of the United States Army. Johnson was subsequently stationed at
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
and
Sequoia national parks.
He was promoted to
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
on March 11, 1911, and was named superintendent of Sequoia National Park in 1912.
Wishing to follow in his father's footsteps, Johnson won permission from General
Enoch Crowder
Major General Enoch Herbert Crowder, USA (April 11, 1859 – May 7, 1932) was an American Army lawyer who served as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1911 to 1923. Crowder is most noted for implementing and administering t ...
to attend the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
(at
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
* George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer ...
) where he received his
Bachelor of Arts
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 (with honors) in 1915 and his
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
in 1916 (doubling up on courses to graduate in half the time required).
Transferring to the
Judge Advocate General's Corps
The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judg ...
(JAG), from May to October 1916 he served under
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
John J. Pershing in Mexico with the
Pancho Villa Expedition
The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...
.
promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on July 1, 1916, he transferred to the JAG headquarters in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in October 1916.
He was promoted to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
on May 15, 1917, and to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
on August 5, 1917.
He was named
Deputy Provost Marshal General in October 1917,
and the same month was named to a
Department of War committee on military training (the U.S. had entered
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
on April 6, 1917).
As a captain, Johnson helped co-author the regulations implementing the
Selective Service Act of 1917
The Selective Service Act of 1917 or Selective Draft Act () authorized the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War I through conscription. It was envisioned in December 1916 and brought to President ...
.
Without Congressional authorization, he ordered completed several of the initial first steps needed to implement the draft.
The action could have led to his
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
had Congress not acted (a month later) to pass the conscription law.
He was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
on January 8, 1918, and to
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
on April 15, 1918.
At the time of his promotion, he was the youngest person, at the age of 35, to reach the rank of brigadier general since the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, and the youngest West Point graduate to remain continuously in the service who had ever reached the rank.
Ohl (1985) finds that Johnson was an excellent second-in-command during the war in the Office of the Provost Marshal under Brigadier General
Enoch H. Crowder
Major General Enoch Herbert Crowder, USA (April 11, 1859 – May 7, 1932) was an American Army lawyer who served as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1911 to 1923. Crowder is most noted for implementing and administering t ...
as long as he was closely watched and tightly supervised. His considerable talents were effectively drawn upon in the planning and implementation of the registration and draft before and during the conflict. However he was never able to work smoothly with others.
[Ohl (1985)]
Upon his promotion to brigadier general, Johnson was appointed director of the Purchase and Supply Branch of the General Staff in April 1918,
and was promoted to assistant director of the Purchase, Storage and Traffic Division of the General Staff in October 1918.
In this capacity, he worked closely with the
War Industries Board
The War Industries Board (WIB) was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies between the War Department (Department of the Army) and the Navy Department. Because ...
.
He favorably impressed many businessmen, including
Bernard Baruch
Bernard Mannes Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was an American financier and statesman.
After amassing a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange, he impressed President Woodrow Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in ...
(head of the War Industries Board).
These contacts later proved critical in winning Johnson a position with President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's administration.
He was put in command of the 15th Infantry Brigade which was part of the
8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 8th Division (Australia)
* 8th Canadian Infantry Division
* 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China)
* 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Rep ...
, but the unit did not deploy to Europe because the war had ended.
[Cullum, ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates...,'' 1920, p. 1045.]
Johnson resigned from the U.S. Army on February 25, 1919.
For his service in the Provost Marshal's office and in executing the draft, he was awarded the
Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...
in 1926.
New Deal career
Johnson was named assistant general manager of the
Moline Plow Company
The Moline Plow Company was an American manufacturer of plows and other farm implements, headquartered in Moline, Illinois, USA.
Moline Plow was formed in the 1870s when the firm of Candee & Swan, a competitor of Deere and Company (also of M ...
on September 1, 1919.
Moline Plow's president,
George Peek
George Nelson Peek (November 19, 1873 – December 17, 1943) was an American agricultural economist, business executive, and civil servant. He was the first administrator of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and the first preside ...
, and Johnson were both supporters of the
McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill
The McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Act, which never became law, was a controversial plan in the 1920s to subsidize American agriculture by raising the domestic prices of five crops. The plan was for the government to buy each crop and then store it o ...
, a proposed federal law which would have established the first farm
price support
In economics, a price support may be either a subsidy, a production quota, or a price control, each with the intended effect of keeping the market price of a good higher than the competitive equilibrium level.
In the case of a price control, a pr ...
s in U.S. history.
Johnson left Moline Plow in 1927 to become an adviser to Bernard Baruch. He joined the
Brain Trust
Brain trust was a term that originally described a group of close advisers to a political candidate or incumbent; these were often academics who were prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of ad ...
of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in
the 1932 presidential election. His major role was drafting speeches, most notably one that FDR delivered in Pittsburgh denouncing the reckless spending of the Hoover administration and calling for a very conservative fiscal policy.
NRA
Johnson played a major role in the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
. In 1933 Roosevelt appointed Johnson to administer the
National Recovery Administration
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...
(NRA).
![Front view - Hugh S Johnston headstone - Arlington National Cemetery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Front_view_-_Hugh_S_Johnston_headstone_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery.JPG)
The NRA involved ending the Great Depression by organizing thousands of businesses under codes drawn up by trade associations and industries. According to biographer John Ohl (as summarized by reviewer Lester V. Chandler):
Johnson's priorities became evident almost immediately. In the prescription, "Self regulation of industry under government supervision" the emphasis was to be on maximum freedom for business to formulate its own rules with a minimum of government supervision. Consumer protection and the interests of labor were of decidedly lesser importance. To induce business to formulate and abide by codes of fair competition Johnson was willing to condone almost any type of price fixing, restriction of production, limitation of productive capacity, and other types of anti-competitive practices.
Johnson was recognized for his efforts when ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' named him
Man of the Year of 1933—choosing him instead of FDR. By 1934 the enthusiasm that Johnson had so successfully created had faded. Johnson was faltering badly, which historians ascribe to the profound contradictions in NRA policies, compounded by heavy drinking on the job. Big business and labor unions both turned hostile. 1
According to historian Ellis Hawley:
at the hands of historians the National Recovery Administration of 1933-35 has fared badly. Cursed at the time, it has remained the epitome of political aberration, illustrative of the pitfalls of “planning” and deplored both for hampering recovery and delaying genuine reform.
Johnson came under attack by Labor Secretary
Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the 4th United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member of th ...
for having un-American policies. He distributed copies of a fascist tract called "The Corporate State" by one of
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
's favorite economists,
Bruno Biagi, including giving one to Perkins and asking her to give copies to Roosevelt's cabinet. Perkins feared that Johnson looked on
Italian Fascist corporativism as a kind of model for the American economy, and she convinced Roosevelt to fire him in September 1934. The NRA continued to deteriorate—it was abolished in 1935.
Journalism, later life and death
Upon leaving the Roosevelt administration, Johnson, who had long been a successful essay writer for national magazines, now became a syndicated newspaper columnist specializing in political commentary. He supported Roosevelt in
the 1936 presidential election, but when the Court-packing plan was announced in 1937 he denounced Roosevelt as a would-be dictator. In 1939 he endorsed
isolationism
Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entang ...
—staying out of World War II; he endorsed
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...
the Republican candidate in the
1940 presidential election.
Johnson wrote a number of articles and stories. One
future history
A future history is a postulated history of the future and is used by authors of science fiction and other speculative fiction to construct a common background for fiction. Sometimes the author publishes a timeline of events in the history, whi ...
piece, ''The Dam'', was written in 1911 and appears in the
Sam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction.
Biography
As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...
anthology, ''Science Fiction by Gaslight''. In the story, Japan invades and conquers California.
General Hugh S. Johnson died in Washington, D.C., in April 1942 from pneumonia.
He was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
.
Awards
*
Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...
*
Philippine Campaign Medal
The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...
*
Mexican Service Medal
The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military for service in Mexico from 1911 to 1919.
History
The Mexican Service Medal awarded by the Army was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December ...
*
World War I Victory Medal (United States)
The World War I Victory Medal (known prior to establishment of the World War II Victory Medal in 1945 simply as the Victory Medal) was a United States service medal designed by James Earle Fraser of New York City under the direction of the Com ...
Dates of rank
Footnotes
References
* Bellush, Bernard. ''The Failure of the NRA'' (1975
online*Cullum, George Washington. ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.: From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890.'' 3d ed. New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1920.
*Hampton, H. Duane. ''How the U.S. Cavalry Saved Our National Parks.'' Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1971.
*
Hamby, Alonzo L. ''For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of the 1930s.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.
* Hawley, Ellis W. ''The New Deal and the Problem of Monopoly: A Study in Economic Ambivalence'' (1966) on NRA
*Ohl, John Kennedy. ''Hugh S. Johnson and the New Deal.'' DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois Univ Press, 1985. , standard scholarly biography
* Ohl, John Kennedy. "Tales Told by a New Dealer: General Hugh S. Johnson," ''Montana: The Magazine Of Western History'' 1975 25(4): 66–77
*Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr. ''The Coming of the New Deal'' (1958), extensive coverage of Johnson's NRA
* Schwarz, Jordan A. ''The New Dealers: Power politics in the age of Roosevelt'' (Vintage, 2011) pp 93-108
online
*White, James Terry. ''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography.'' Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1967.
Primary sources
*Johnson, Hugh S. ''The Blue Eagle From Egg to Earth.'' New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1935.
Crawford, William H. "He Risked Disgrace to Speed the Draft." ''New York Times.'' June 9, 1918.Howard, C.B. "Our Twenty-one Generals of Forty Years and Under."''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
.'' August 24, 1919.
"Col. H. S. Johnson Deputy Provost Marshal." ''New York Times.'' January 25, 1918.*"Hugh S. Johnson Dies in Capital." ''New York Times.'' April 16, 1942.
''Time.'' September 25, 1933.
"Plans to Mobilize Schools to Aid War." ''New York Times.'' February 17, 1918."Promotes 10 Brigadiers." ''New York Times.'' April 17, 1918.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Hugh S
1882 births
1942 deaths
People from Alva, Oklahoma
People from Fort Scott, Kansas
Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel
National Recovery Administration
Time Person of the Year
United States Army generals of World War I
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
Deaths from pneumonia in Washington, D.C.
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)