Oscar Goodbar Johnston (January 27, 1880 - October 3, 1955) was an American politician and public officer from the state of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Early life

Oscar Goodbar Johnston was born on January 27, 1880, in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

. He was the son of John Calvin Johnston and Emma Elizabeth (Goodbar) Johnston. John Calvin Johnston was the deputy state auditor of Mississippi for several years. When Oscar was in his youth, Oscar attended public and private schools in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, Kansas City, and

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. He graduated from the

Kentucky Military Institute The Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) was a military preparatory school in Lyndon, Kentucky, and Venice, Florida, in operation from 1845 to 1971. Founding One of the oldest traditional military prep schools in the United States, KMI was maintain ...

in 1899 as the

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...

of his class. He then studied law, going to the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

for one term, before switching colleges and graduating from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

with a law degree and as the class orator in 1901. He first practiced law at

West Point, Mississippi West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, United States, in the Golden Triangle region of the state. The population was 11,307 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Clay County and the principal city of the West Point Micropolitan ...

, in 1901.

Political career

State Legislature

Johnston was first elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing

Coahoma County Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale. The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is lo ...

as 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 ...

, on November 5, 1907. In the 1908 and 1910 sessions, he served on the Judiciary, Federal Relations, Corporations, and Mississippi Levees committees. He was re-elected on November 7, 1911, for the 1912 and 1914 sessions. During those sessions, he was the chairman of the Judiciary committee, and also was served in the Fees and Salaries, Mississippi Levees, Constitution, Drainage, and Rules committees. He was re-elected once more in November 1915, where he served on the Judiciary, Mississippi Levees, Railroads, and Insurance Committees. In the 1916 session, he attempted to run for

Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

, but lost in a three-way race to Martin Sennett Conner. He left the Legislature to serve in the Tank Corps as a private in

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 ...

, and was commissioned a lieutenant in 1919.

Run for Governor

Following service in WWI, Johnston attempted to run for Mississippi Governor in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

. However, he lost the second primary to Lee M. Russell.

Organizations

He became the president of the Delta & Pine Land Company of Mississippi in 1929. In 1933, he was appointed the Director of Finance for the newly created Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). In 1938, he founded the

National Cotton Council The National Cotton Council of America is a trade organization for cotton production in the United States. Purpose The main purpose of the organization is to lobby in favor of farm bills agreeable to the cotton industry. Other goals include doing ...

, and served as president of that organization until his retirement.

Personal life and death

In 1905, he married Martha Anderson. He died on October 3, 1955, in

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. H ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Oscar G. 1880 births 1955 deaths People from Jackson, Mississippi People from Coahoma County, Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives