Martin Nelson Johnson (March 3, 1850October 21, 1909) was an American attorney and politician who served as 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

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

Early life and education

Born to Norwegian immigrants in

Racine County, Wisconsin Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a part ...

, he moved with his parents to

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

, the same year. He was taught at home and attended the country schools; in 1873 he graduated from the

law department Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

Career

and taught two years in the California Military Academy at

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

and returned to Iowa in 1875, 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 1876 and commenced practice in Decorah. He was a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

in 1877 and a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from 1878 to 1882. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

on the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

ticket in

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

. Johnson moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

in 1882 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; he was prosecuting attorney of Nelson County from 1886 to 1890 and was a member of the constitutional convention of

in 1889. In 1889 he was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to the U.S. Senate, and was elected a Representative to the Fifty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1891 to March 4, 1899. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1898, having become a candidate for Senator; his candidacy was unsuccessful 1899, but he was later elected and served from March 4, 1909, until his death in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

in 1909. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee to Investigate Trespassers Upon Indian Lands (Sixty-first Congress). Johnson died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

in Fargo. Interment was in the City Cemetery,

Petersburg, North Dakota Petersburg is a city in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 162 at the time of the 2020 census. Petersburg was founded in 1884. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of ...

References

Martin N. Johnson, late a senator from North Dakota, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Martin 1850 births 1909 deaths People from Racine County, Wisconsin American people of Norwegian descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota Republican Party United States senators from North Dakota 1876 United States presidential electors Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican Party Iowa state senators People from Nelson County, North Dakota People from Decorah, Iowa 19th-century American politicians Iowa lawyers North Dakota lawyers University of Iowa College of Law alumni

Early life and education

Career

See also

References