Rienzi Melville Johnston (September 9, 1849February 28, 1926) was an American journalist and politician. He edited the ''

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston Po ...

'' from 1885 to 1919, and served a 29-day term in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in January 1913 after the resignation of

Joseph Weldon Bailey Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr. (October 6, 1862April 13, 1929), was a United States senator, United States Representative, lawyer, and Bourbon Democrat who was famous for his speeches extolling conservative causes, such as opposition to woman suffrag ...

. His term remains the fifth shortest in Senate history. Johnston was a member of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

from 1917 to 1920, and also its

President pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

from 1918.

Early life

Johnston was born in

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, Washington County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 5,912 at the 2010 census. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersv ...

, on September 9, 1849 (some sources say 1850). He was born the son of Freeman W. Johnston and his wife Mary J. (née Russell). In his early years, Johnston worked in a print shop, but at the age of 12 was enlisted as a drummer in the

Confederate States 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 ...

, serving a year from 1862 to 1863. After being

discharged Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

, he re-enlisted in 1864 and served until the end of the war. After the war, he returned to newspaper work.

Newspaper career

In the early 1870s, Johnston became editor of the ''Savannah Morning News''. He traveled to Texas in 1878, where he took on the editorship of the ''Crockett Patron''. After a year at the ''Patron'', he went on to edit the ''Corsicana Observer'' and established the ''Independent'' there. In 1880, Johnston moved to

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, where he wrote for the ''

Austin Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

''. The ''

'' also enlisted him to serve as a correspondent to cover the state capital. After a reorganization in 1885, Johnston was chosen as the new editor-in-chief of the ''Houston Post'', and later became president of the Houston Printing Company. As a noted editorial writer, Johnston was frequently quoted by other newspapers across the United States. He also served as the first Vice President of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

for two years.

Political career

Johnston, through his newspaper influence, became a leader of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in Texas. He declined the nomination for

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and control ...

in 1898. From 1900 to 1912, he served as a member of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

. At the beginning of January 1913,

Oscar Branch Colquitt Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was the 25th Governor of Texas from January 17, 1911 to January 19, 1915. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Gov. Colquitt defended the actions of the Texas Rangers who alle ...

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

, appointed Johnston to the

to fill the unexpired term of

Joseph W. Bailey Joseph Weldon Bailey, Sr. (October 6, 1862April 13, 1929), was a United States senator, United States Representative, lawyer, and Bourbon Democrat who was famous for his speeches extolling conservative causes, such as opposition to woman suffrag ...

. Johnston served a brief term, from January 4, to January 29, 1913. Johnston's 29-day term is the second shortest in Senate history, behind John N. Heiskell's 24 days. Elected to replace Johnston was

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the fa ...

, later known as "the father of

national Prohibition In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a nationwide constitutional law prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and ...

" for introducing the Eighteenth Amendment to the Senate. Following his Senate term, Johnston returned to Houston and resumed his role as editor of the ''Post''. He retired from the newspaper business in 1919. In 1916, Johnston was elected to the

, representing Houston. He served in office from January 9, 1917, to January 12, 1920, through the 35th and 36th sessions of the legislature. On March 27, 1918, Johnston was elected as

of the Senate. During the 36th legislature, Johnston was chair of the Towns and City Corporations Committee and vice chair of the Public Printing Committee. He resigned his seat in 1920, having been appointed by Governor

William P. Hobby William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was known as the publisher/owner of the '' Beaumont Enterprise'' when he entered politics and the Democratic Party. Elected in 1914 as Lieutenant Governor of Texas, in 1917 he succeeded t ...

as Chairman of the State Prison Commission. In a special election, Lynch Davidson, later a state Lieutenant Governor, won Johnston's former seat. A collection of Johnston's papers is held at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

in Houston. His name has also been given to Rienzi, the

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

's house museum for European decorative arts. The house formerly belonged to Johnston's grandson, Harris Masterson III.

Personal life

Johnston married Mary E. Parsons in 1875, and they had three children. He died on February 28, 1926, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Houston.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14 *
Guide to the Rienzi Melville Johnston papers, 1899-1926
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Rienzi 1849 births 1926 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American newspaper editors Democratic Party United States senators from Texas Democratic Party Texas state senators People from Sandersville, Georgia