Josiah Stoddard Johnston (November 24, 1784May 19, 1833) was a
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 ...
and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. Born in
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury () is a town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Massachusetts-New York-Connecticut tri-state marker is located at the northwest corner of the town ...
, he moved with his father to
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
in 1788, and went to Connecticut to attend primary school. He graduated from
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
(
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
) in 1802, studied law, 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 commenced practice in
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...
(then the
Territory of Orleans
The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana.
History
In 1804, ...
). He was a member of the Territorial legislature from 1805 to 1812 and during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
raised and organized a regiment for the
defense of New Orleans, but reached the city after the battle. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and was a State
district judge from 1812 to 1821.
Johnston was elected to the Seventeenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1822 to the Eighteenth Congress. In 1824 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
; he elected to the Senate in 1825 and was reelected in 1831, serving from January 15, 1824, until his death, caused by an explosion on the
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
''
Lioness
A lioness is a female lion.
Lioness(es) may also refer to:
Music
* Lioness Records, a British record label
* Lioness (band), a Canadian indie rock band
** ''Lioness'' (EP), their 2008 EP
* ''Lioness'' (Sivert Høyem album), 2016
* ''Lioness ...
'', on the
Red River in Louisiana, May 19, 1833. While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Commerce (Nineteenth Congress); interment was in Rapides Cemetery,
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. Pineville is hence part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,555 at the 2010 cens ...
.
Family
His half-brother,
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...
, was a
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 ...
general during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. His son, J. Stoddard Johnston (1833–1913), a journalist and editor, also served during the War, eventually becoming Kentucky's Secretary of State.
[George Baber]
Colonel J. Stoddard Johnston: A Great Kentuckian who was distinguished as a Soldier,Scholar and Journalis
Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 14, No. 40 (JANUARY, 1916), pp. 7, 9-13.
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Josiah
1784 births
1833 deaths
People from Salisbury, Connecticut
United States senators from Louisiana
American people of the War of 1812
Transylvania University alumni
Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery
Accidental deaths in Louisiana
Deaths due to ship fires
Louisiana National Republicans
National Republican Party United States senators
Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana
19th-century American politicians