Sveinbjörn Johnson (July 10, 1883 – March 16, 1946) was an Icelandic-born American lawyer, politician and scholar.
Biography
Johnson was born at
Hólar
Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland.
Location
Hólar is in the Hjaltadalur valley, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is th ...
in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland on July 10, 1883, the oldest of ten children born to John and Gudbjorn Johnson.
He came 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 ...
with his parents in 1887 at the age of four. His family settled on a farm in
Pembina County, North Dakota
Pembina County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. At the 2020 census its population was 6,844. The county seat is Cavalier.
History
For thousands of years, various indigenous peoples inhabited the area along the Pembina and Red r ...
.
Johnson received his early education in the state's public schools, completing the combined seven-year high school and college course in four years.
He then attended the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1906, a master of arts degree in 1907 and a law degree in 1908. He subsequently undertook graduate studies at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Upon graduation from law school, Johnson went to
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...
, where he organized the legislative reference library.
North Dakota legal career
In 1911 Johnson opened a law office in
Cavalier, North Dakota
Cavalier is the largest city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Pembina County. The population was 1,246 at the 2020 census. Cavalier was founded in 1875 and became the county seat in 1911.
Although they be ...
. In 1913 moved to
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...
to become a law partner of J. F. T. O'Connor.
In 1913 and 1915 he assisted members of the state legislature in drafting bills.
While overseeing his private practice, Johnson simultaneously lectured in Political Science and Law at the University of North Dakota.
In 1916, Johnson ran for State's Attorney of
Grand Forks County, but lost to the incumbent.
Following the recall of
William Lemke
William Frederick Lemke (August 13, 1878 – May 30, 1950) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. He was also the Union Party's presidential cand ...
, Johnson was in 1921 elected
North Dakota Attorney General
The North Dakota Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the North Dakota state government. The Attorney General's office represents the state government in court cases and issues opinions of points of law upon request. Drew Wrigley was appo ...
. In 1922 he was elected justice of the
North Dakota Supreme Court
The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts.
Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...
, defeating the incumbent
James Robinson.
On December 1, 1926, Johnson resigned from the North Dakota Supreme Court and became legal counsel and
Professor of Law at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
.
Illinois legal career
Johnson became a Professor of Law at
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in 1926. In 1942, while serving as state director of the federal office of government reports, Johnson became involved in a heated controversy with
Illinois Attorney General
The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorney ...
George F. Barrett over the matter of holding federal and state jobs at the same time.
Johnson resigned from the University of Illinois on September 1, 1944. He ran unsuccessfully against Barrett for the position of Illinois Attorney General
in 1944.
On January 1, 1945, he opened a law office in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, practicing law in both Chicago and
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
.
Johnson suffered from a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in his office and died on March 16, 1946. He was survived by his wife Esther Slette of
Manchester, Minnesota
Manchester is a city in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 57 at the 2010 census.
History
Manchester was laid out in 1878, and named after Manchester Township, Illinois, the former home of an early settler. Manchester ...
and his son Paul, who served as a Captain in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Johnson was the author of numerous books on law and history, particularly with regards to his native Iceland.
He was a recipient of honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
in 1930 and the University of North Dakota.
In 1939 he was decorated a Knight of the
Order of the Falcon
The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...
by
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rather ...
.
Selected works
*
Pioneers of Freedom', 1930
References
External links
Sveinbjorn Johnsonat
Find a Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...
Sveinbjorn Johnsonat
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Sveinbjorn
1883 births
1946 deaths
20th-century American judges
Icelandic emigrants to the United States
Illinois Democrats
Knights of the Order of the Falcon
North Dakota Attorneys General
North Dakota Democrats
Justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court
University of Illinois faculty
University of North Dakota alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
University of North Dakota faculty
Illinois lawyers
North Dakota lawyers