Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. (October 11, 1877 – October 23, 1937) was an American businessman and politician. He was a
Democratic member of the
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
representing the
89th District. He served in the
29th,
30th,
35th Military units
*35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force
*35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I
*35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...
,
37th, and
38th Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...
s. He was the father of the 36th
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
,
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, and the
son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
of
Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr.
Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr. (November 12, 1838 – February 25, 1915) was an American politician, businessman, farmer, rancher, and namesake of Johnson City, Texas. He was the grandfather of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson.
Early life
Johnso ...
He was a struggling farmer and cattle speculator who lived in the
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ameri ...
.
Early life
Samuel Johnson was born in
Buda, Texas
Buda ( ) is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,108 in 2020, up from 7,295 counted in 2010. Buda is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area and is one of Austin's fastest growing subu ...
in 1877, the fifth child of Eliza Jane (née Bunton) and
Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr.
Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr. (November 12, 1838 – February 25, 1915) was an American politician, businessman, farmer, rancher, and namesake of Johnson City, Texas. He was the grandfather of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson.
Early life
Johnso ...
, and showed intelligence at an early age.
When he was ten years old, his family moved from Buda to the Pedernales. On his family's Pedernales farm, he developed a strong sense of competition. In his teens he developed a desire to be "more than a farmer" and began attending a local school.
[ However, at that time even so-called public schools required ]tuition
Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...
, and his family struggled to afford the payments. When the barber
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
of Johnson City retired, Sam bought his chair and tools with a loan and began practicing on his friends to gain skill at cutting hair. Once he learned, he was able to pay his school's tuition fees by selling haircuts in the evenings.[
He had to quit going to high school because of health problems, and his parents sent him to live on his uncle Lucius Bunton's ranch in ]Presidio County, Texas
Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is Marfa. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1875. Presidio County (K-5 in Texas topological ind ...
for several months. When he returned home, Johnson had ambitions to become a teacher; however, the Texas hill country
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ameri ...
at that time had no state-accredited high schools and no colleges. He learned that he could get a state-issued teaching certificate without finishing high school by passing a state examination.[ In 1896, with the thirteen textbooks he needed to study for the exam, he moved to his retired grandfather's nearby home to study in quiet.]
Johnson passed the exam and, for the next three years, taught in one-room school houses throughout the hill country. He wanted to move on and become a lawyer, but financially he had to return home and work alongside his father on their family farm. Once his father became too old to work, Johnson began renting the farm from him and working it by himself. After a few years of plentiful rain and no flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
s, he had gained enough income to hire a number of farm hand
A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including harv ...
s and begin trading in cotton futures contract
In finance, a futures contract (sometimes called a futures) is a standardized legal contract to buy or sell something at a predetermined price for delivery at a specified time in the future, between parties not yet known to each other. The asset ...
s in Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530.
Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. O ...
.[ Considered a very friendly person, he became a popular figure in the area surrounding Johnson City.][
]
Personal life
He married Rebekah Baines (1881–1958), daughter of Joseph Wilson Baines
Joseph Wilson Baines (January 24, 1846 – November 18, 1906) was Secretary of State of Texas and a member of the Texas state legislature.
Baines was born in Mount Lebanon, Louisiana, and his family moved to Anderson, Texas when he was four. He ...
and his wife, on August 20, 1907. Their first child, Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, was born on August 27, 1908. They had four more children: Rebekah (1910–1978), Josefa (1912–1961), Sam Houston Johnson
Samuel Houston Johnson (January 31, 1914 – December 11, 1978) was an American businessman. He was the younger brother of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Early life
Sam Houston Johnson was born in Johnson City, Texas on January 31, 1914, to Samu ...
(1914–1978), and Lucia (1916–1997).
According to Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 when ...
, Johnson's wife, he planned to join the Christadelphian Church, where his father and mother and sister were members, toward the end of his life.
Political career
Sam Johnson served five terms in the Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
as a Populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
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 ...
. During his time in the state legislature, he fought against conservative Democrats who served business interests.[ While at the time, the ]lobbyists
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
employed widespread bribery with the elected Texas officials. Representative Sam Johnson refused bribes and favors from lobbyist
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
s.[ His son, ]Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
used his father's record as a Populist to aid his own political career.
In 1896 and 1898, Republican Robert B. Hawley
Robert Bradley Hawley (October 25, 1849 – November 28, 1921) was a businessman and politician from Galveston, Texas, elected as a Republican U.S. Representative (1897–1901) from Texas's 10th congressional district. He won his office in 1896 ...
was elected by a plurality as Congressman, when the white vote was split between the Democrats and Populist Party. To reduce competition by Republicans and Populists, the state legislature in 1901 passed a poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
, which had the desired effect of disfranchising most blacks, and many Latino and poor white voters.["Nixon v. Condon. Disfranchisement of the Negro in Texas"](_blank)
''The Yale Law Journal'', Vol. 41, No. 8, June 1932, p. 1212, accessed March 21, 2008 Texas effectively became a one-party state, like the other states of the former Confederacy in this period, and blacks were blocked from the political process until civil rights legislation was passed in the mid-1960s.[Michael Perman.''Struggle for Mastery: Disenfranchisement in the South, 1888–1908''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001, Introduction]
From 1867 to 1874 the Reconstruction era Republicans
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 ...
in the Texas State Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm ...
had raised taxes to provide for the first universal free education, and to start establishing welfare institutions such as hospitals, to serve the people. To restrict the power of the legislature, the Democratic-dominated legislature amended the Constitution of the State of Texas in a measure passed by remaining white voters. The amendment scheduled the legislature to meet only every other year as well as setting legislators' pay at five dollars a day—which would be reduced to two dollars a day if the legislature ran longer than 60 days.
First term (1905–1907)
Samuel Johnson's political career began in 1904, when his brother-in-law, Judge Clarence W. Martin, a former State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
, encouraged him to run for the Democratic nomination to the state house from the 89th District. Given the Democrats' dominance by this time, the primary was the only competitive contest. Johnson won the Democratic nomination unanimously and in his acceptance speech, he cast his campaign as part of a larger populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
movement, although the Populist Party had largely died out. He won the election against his 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 ...
opponent by winning large margins in Johnson City as well as the small towns along the Pedernales River
The Pedernales River ( ) is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in Central Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau, flowing west to east across the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. The name "Pede ...
. His opponent, a Texas-German speaking lawyer, won only Gillespie County
Gillespie County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 26,725. The county seat is Fredericksburg, Texas, Fredericksburg ...
, a largely German and Republican area.[
When he arrived at the ]Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 18 ...
in January 1905 at the age of 27, Johnson adapted well to the life of a legislator. Although relatively unsophisticated, he became an expert at parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...
.[ and persuading other legislators to his view. During his term he worked with two other legislators, "Honest Buck" Gray and Claude Hudspeth, to support Populist causes such as an eight-hour workday for railroad workers and a ]Franchise tax
A franchise tax is a government levy (tax) charged by some US states to certain business organizations such as corporations and partnerships with a nexus in the state. A franchise tax is not based on income. Rather, the typical franchise tax cal ...
for corporations. Although largely successful in terms of passing legislation, he and other populists were often on the losing side in trying to gain legislation to regulate Texas' large corporations.[
One of Johnson's early political achievements was preserving ]the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...
as a part of Texas' heritage. Although many Texans worked on this project, previous attempts had failed because of lingering questions over jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
and because legislators balked at the asking price of $65,000 to purchase the fort.[ When Representative Johnson drafted the bill, he ensured the Alamo mission would be overseen by the ]Daughters of the Republic of Texas
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is a lineal association dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the founding families and soldiers of the Republic of Texas. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas is best known for its former role as ...
. On January 26, 1905, his bill passed into law. In 1905 Johnson also gained passage of legislation banning calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount ...
and a bill exempting Blanco County from state law requiring the payment of wolf bounties, which could have bankrupted the county.[
]
Second term (1907–1909)
In the 1906 election, Johnson faced David Martin, the owner of the Martin Telephone Company and a resident of Llano County, Texas
Llano County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 21,243. Its county seat is Llano, Texas, Llano, and the county is n ...
, in the Democratic primary. He had the support of newspapers in the four counties that comprised the 89th District. He won such large margins in the primary that the county Republicans did not put up a candidate for the general election.
In the 1907 session of the Texas State Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm ...
, the re-election of 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 ...
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 ...
was the most controversial issue. In 1907, Senators were still elected by their state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
s. The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and2 of the Constitution, under wh ...
, which allowed for the direct election of Senators, had not yet been passed. Although 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 ...
had been one of the most prominent populists
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
in the country at one time, in 1906 his opponents had accused him of taking large legal fees from railroads, lumber companies, and Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
. Samuel Johnson was one of a few members of the legislature who tried to postpone Bailey's election until the Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
had conducted an investigation. When Bailey, backed by a number of railroads and oil companies, arrived at the Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 18 ...
, his forces bribed nearly all 133 members of the House of Representatives to vote in his favor. Despite being thousands of dollars in debt, Samuel Johnson refused any attempt to sway his vote. He did not vote for Bailey, and he was one of seven members to vote present.[Texas House Journal 1907, pp. 195–196, http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/HouseJournals/30/houseJournal30thLeg_101.pdf]
His stand against business interests made him a hero to political observers in 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 ...
as well as his constituents in the 89th District.[ Party officials in all four counties encouraged him to run for a third term, but because of his financial problems, Johnson left the legislature, returning to his farm in the ]Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Americ ...
. Although most returning representatives were offered patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
jobs in the state government or with a railroad, oil company, or bank, because Samuel Johnson had refused to take bribes throughout his career, he was not offered one.[
]
Third Term (1918–1923)
In November 1917, a special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
was called to fill a vacancy in the 89th District, the seat Samuel Johnson had vacated ten years earlier. In the interim, between 1907 and 1917, Johnson had re-established his financial standing and owned a number of local businesses. His reputation remained intact, largely because of his reputation of helping others. In April 1917, farmers from Blanco County elected him to the local draft board
{{further, Conscription in the United StatesDraft boards are a part of the Selective Service System which register and select men of military age in the event of conscription in the United States.
Local board
The local draft board is a board th ...
. When Johnson decided to run in the special election, no one ran against him, and he served out the rest of the term.
Business career
Samuel Johnson had made gains in the cotton futures market
A futures exchange or futures market is a central financial exchange where people can trade standardized futures contracts defined by the exchange. Futures contracts are derivatives contracts to buy or sell specific quantities of a commodity or fi ...
in 1902, 1903, and 1904; however in 1905, he lost all of the money he had invested. His son, Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
later noted, "My daddy went busted waiting for cotton to go up to twenty-one cents a pound, and the market fell apart when it hit twenty".[ In 1906, he took out a loan and bought futures contracts on margin, but lost money again. When he arrived in the ]Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 18 ...
after his election in 1906, he was "several thousand dollars in debt".[
After retiring from the legislature in 1908, Johnson began to buy and sell real estate in addition to farming. He did well in selling real estate, so well that he hired a local teenager as a ]chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.
Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
and paid a staff of cleaning ladies to handle household tasks for his wife. He re-invested the profits from real estate into buying local businesses. He bought several ranches, a small movie theater, as well as the only hotel in Johnson City.[ In 1916, he bought the local newspaper, the ''Johnson City Record'', an "eight page weekly" from its owner. Four months later, he sold the paper to Reverdy Giddon, as many of his subscribers could not pay in cash.][ Having regained his financial footing, he ran for a third term in 1917.
In 1920, he sold all of his real estate, and went $40,000 into debt to restart cotton farming. He was motivated by post-WWI cotton prices, which were $0.40, but expected to rise to $0.50 or $0.60. Heavy spring storms repeatedly washed away the crops, and cotton prices fell to $0.08. The Johnson family lost everything.]
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Samuel Ealy Jr.
1877 births
1937 deaths
People from Buda, Texas
People from Gillespie County, Texas
Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
Samuel Ealy Jr.
Fathers of presidents of the United States
Fathers of vice presidents of the United States