John B. Johnson (October 15, 1868 – June 26, 1940), more commonly referred to as J. B. Johnson, was an American attorney and politician who served as the 22nd

Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's t ...

Early life and military service

Johnson was born in

Live Oak, Florida Live Oak is a city in northern Florida and it is the county seat of Suwannee County, Florida, Suwannee County, Florida, United States. The city is the county seat of Suwannee County and is located east of Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee. As of 2 ...

, on October 15, 1868. On April 23, 1898, Johnson enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. He served as a first sergeant in Company L of the

1st Florida Infantry The 1st Florida Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised by the Confederate state of Florida during the American Civil War. Raised for 12 months of service its remaining veterans served in the 1st (McDonell's) Battalion, Florida Infantry ...

. His regiment did not see any combat, remaining in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, and later

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, for the majority of the war. Johnson was mustered out of the Army on December 3, 1898. Educated in local schools, Johnson was admitted to the

Florida Bar The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys. The Florida Bar is also responsible for the governi ...

in 1903, and began a private practice in Live Oak.

Political career

In 1907, Johnson, 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 ...

, was elected as the mayor of Live Oak. He was simultaneously elected to the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

, representing District 27, which encompassed Suwanee County. While in the senate, Johnson opposed legislature regulating

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

, and, as a fervent

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, he was a supporter of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. In 1913, Johnson was appointed for a one-year term as the President pro tempore of the Florida Senate by Senate President Ion L. Farris, and later in 1917, he would become the President of the Florida Senate, serving for only that year. Johnson did not seek reelection to either the senate or the mayoral office in 1922, opting to return to private practice. In 1925, Johnson was appointed as the 23rd Florida Attorney General by newly elected Governor

John W. Martin John Wellborn Martin (June 21, 1884 – February 22, 1958) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 24th Governor of Florida, from 1925 to 1929. He also served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Mayor of Jacksonville, Flo ...

, succeeding Rivers Buford, who Martin had appointed to the Florida Supreme Court. Johnson served as the Florida Attorney General until Martin appointed him as the judge of the

Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida The Florida circuit courts are state courts, and are trial courts of original jurisdiction for most controversies. In Florida, the circuit courts are one of four types of courts created by the Florida Constitution (the other three being The Flo ...

Personal life and death

Johnson died in Live Oak on June 26, 1940. He is buried in the Live Oak Cemetery. Johnson was married to Mary Wagner on 1902. They were married until her death in 1923 and had two children with her: Wagner B. and John Paul. Johnson was a member of the Freemasons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, J.B. 1868 births 1940 deaths Florida Attorneys General People from Live Oak, Florida United States Army soldiers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Military personnel from Florida Methodists from Florida American suffragists Presidents of the Florida Senate Democratic Party Florida state senators American judges 20th-century American judges American Freemasons Mayors of places in Florida