William Agnew Johnston (July 24, 1848 – January 23, 1937) was a Kansas State Representative in 1875, Kansas State Senator, justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the sta ...

from December 1, 1884, to January 12, 1903, and chief justice from January 12, 1903, to June 30, 1935.

Life and education

Johnston was born July 24, 1848, in Pattersons Corners,

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, to Mathew and Jane Agnew Johnston. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in 1865 he moved with his uncle Hugh Agnew to

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. He attended the Rockford Academy and worked as a fruit picker for four years. While at Rockford he observed a murder trial which was the start of his interest in law. He then moved in 1869 to

Appleton City, Missouri Appleton City is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,032 as of the 2020 census. It is the largest city in St. Clair County. History Appleton City was originally called Arlington, and under the latter name wa ...

, where he taught school and studied law in his spare time. He did not have any college training, instead he had an apprenticeship at a law office in Upton City, Missouri for three years. He first married Lucy Hoisington, from Kishwaukee, Illinois, in 1871, but she died that same year. In 1872 he moved to

Minneapolis, Kansas Minneapolis is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,946. History The community was originally called Markley's Mills, and under the latter name was laid ...

, where he was admitted to the bar. He married political and social activist Lucy Browne 1875 in

Camden, Ohio Camden is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Preble County, Ohio, Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,046 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Greater Dayton, Metropolita ...

, her home town. Together they had a daughter Margaret and a son John. He supported her in her efforts to get the 1912 Kansas woman's suffrage amendment passed. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Baker University, Kansas, in 1901 and Washburn College, Topeka in 1904. He was a regular attendant at the First Presbyterian Church of

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Un ...

as well as being a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. He was a conservative

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 ...

, a supporter of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, and a staunch

Prohibitionist Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...

. He had once been a baseball player, and continued to follow the game throughout his life as his favorite sport. He was also a keen walker, believing it to be excellent metal relaxation, he was known to often have

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

as a companion.

Career

His career started practising law in his own private law firm with R. F. Thompson in

, and the pair were associated until 1881. Just three years after moving to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

in 1875 he was elected to the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

, and in 1876 he moved to the upper house and served as

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

for four years. While service as a senator he was a member of five committees including judiciary, education and finance and taxation. In 1879 he started, with R. F. Thompson and other local businessmen, the ''Solomon Valley Railroad Company''. Also that year he joined the ''Rossington, Smith, and Johnston'' law firm, and was appointed the

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

, a position he held until 1880. In 1880 he was elected became the 11th

Kansas Attorney General The Attorney General of Kansas is a statewide elected official responsible for providing legal services to the state government of Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is ...

serving two terms from January 10, 1881, to December 1, 1884, being re-elected in 1882. In 1884 he was elected to the Kansas Supreme Court to fill the unexpired term of

David Josiah Brewer David Josiah Brewer (June 20, 1837 – March 28, 1910) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1890 to 1910. An appointee of President Benjamin Harrison, he supported states' righ ...

, who had moved to the

United States circuit court The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversity jurisdict ...

; he actually replaced Theodore A. Hurd, who had been appointed in the interim period. In 1889 he was elected as the president of the Kansas State Bar Association. Then in 1903 became the chief justice of the court by seniority. While on the court he had participated in around twenty one thousand opinions and wrote almost three thousand opinions, mostly in favor with around 105 dissenting. In 1935 Johnston retired before the end of his current term and was replaced by Rousseau Angelus Burch as chief justice and the spare seat on the court was filled by Hugo T. Wedell.

Death

He died unexpectedly from a heart attack January 23, 1937, at his home in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, he had been dressing for the day when he collapsed and died a few minutes later. He was survived by his second wife

Lucy Browne Johnston Lucy Browne Johnston (April 7, 1846 – February 17, 1937) was an American social and political reformer and women’s suffrage activist. She was involved with various social movement including Prohibition, women’s enfranchisement, women’s ...

and his two children Mrs Samuel J. Brandeburg and John Johnston, both adopted. After half a century of continuous service he was known as the "Grand old man of Kansas". He was only ill twice during his service and only once did it cause him to miss court sittings.

References

External links

*
Photograph of William Agnew Johnston (c. 1888-1899)

William A. Johnston Papers - Collection 62
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, William Agnew Members of the Kansas House of Representatives Kansas state senators Assistant United States Attorneys Kansas Attorneys General Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry People from Minneapolis, Kansas People from Topeka, Kansas 1848 births 1937 deaths Emigrants from pre-Confederation Ontario to the United States 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Schoolteachers from Missouri 19th-century American educators