William Elting Johnson (October 17, 1837 in West Town,

Orange County, New York Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...

– December 16, 1912 in

Waverly, Tioga County, New York Waverly is the largest village in Tioga County, New York, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Waverly had a population of 4,177. It is located southeast of Elmira in the Southern Tier region. This village was incorporated as t ...

) was an American physician and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Johnson was the son of Alexander T. Johnson (1811–1898) and Jane (Cuddeback) Johnson (1811–1904). He attended the common schools. He graduated from

Albany Medical College Albany Medical College (AMC) is a private medical school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1839 by Alden March and James H. Armsby and is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation. The college is part of the Albany Medical Center, which ...

in 1859, and practiced medicine in Waverly. During 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 ...

he was an army surgeon from 1862 to 1865 with the 109th New York Volunteers. Afterwards, he resumed the practice of medicine in Waverly. On May 1, 1873, he married Mattie Maria Fuller (1847–1914), and they had one daughter. Johnson was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

, voting for

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

and

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st Governor of Ne ...

; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(38th D.) from 1896 to 1900, sitting in the 119th, 120th, 121st, 122nd and

123rd New York State Legislature The 123rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 6, 1900, during the second year of Theodore Roosevelt's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pr ...

s. He died on December 16, 1912, at his home in Waverly, of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 153f and 404)

transcribed from ''Our County and Its People: A Memorial History of Tioga County, NY'' by Leroy W. Kingman {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, William Elting 1837 births 1912 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Port Jervis, New York People from Waverly, Tioga County, New York Albany Medical College alumni 1888 United States presidential electors Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) 19th-century American politicians