William Johnson (December 8, 1821 – October 10, 1875) was a

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

businessman and politician.

Early life and entry into politics

William Johnson was born on December 8, 1821 in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

, to David Johnson and Olive (Stodard) Johnson. The family removed to

Frankfort, New York Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence (Lewis) Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village, also called Frankfort. Frankfort is located east of Utica, ...

, where David died in 1825. At 14, William began studies in

mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...

, and without completing a degree he began work as a contractor on public works projects. It was his work on the

New York State Canal System The New York State Canal System (formerly known as the New York State Barge Canal) is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York. Currently, the system is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga–Seneca Cana ...

from 1849 through 1856 that brought him to

Seneca Falls, New York Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 8,942 at the 2020 census. The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the north ...

. There he married in the summer of 1855 Angeline Chamberlain (died 1901), daughter of Congressman

Jacob P. Chamberlain Jacob Payson Chamberlain (August 1, 1802 – October 5, 1878) was a U.S. Representative from New York during the American Civil War. Life and career Jacob P. Chamberlain was born in Dudley, Massachusetts on August 1, 1802. His family moved to wes ...

. The couple had five sons, the last surviving of whom was Charles Chamberlain Johnson. The Johnson residence still stands on Cayuga Street in Seneca Falls, and is being developed into condominiums after years as a home for women. In 1859, Johnson entered into the manufacture of knit goods. He was a Democratic member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Seneca Co.) in

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

, and was a member of the Canals Committee and the Commerce and Navigation Committee.

Civil War

When 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 ...

began, he was appointed by Governor

Edwin D. Morgan Edwin Denison Morgan (February 8, 1811February 14, 1883) was the 21st governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Comm ...

as Seneca County representative to the War Committee, responsible for procuring troops and supplies. In 1862, he assembled 1200 men at Camp Swift in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

. He was appointed

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and led the 148th Regiment into the war. He resigned his commission and returned to New York in late 1863, citing ill health, but continued to support the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

cause at home. In the years following his

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

service, Johnson became a contractor for railroad construction.

New York State Senate

He was 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 ...

(26th D.) from 1872 to 1875, sitting in the

95th 95 or 95th may refer to: * 95 (number) * one of the years 95 BC, AD 95, 1995, 2095, etc. * 95th Division (disambiguation) * 95th Regiment ** 95th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation) * 95th Squadron (disambiguation) * Atomic number 95: americium *M ...

, 96th, 97th and

98th New York State Legislature The 98th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 22, 1875, during the first year of Samuel J. Tilden's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisi ...

s. He was elected to the

in the fall of 1871, as a Democrat representing the 26th District, then comprising

Ontario 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 Ca ...

, Seneca, and

Yates Yates may refer to: Places United States *Fort Yates, North Dakota *Yates Spring, a spring in Georgia, United States *Yates City, Illinois * Yates Township, Illinois *Yates Center, Kansas * Yates, Michigan * Yates Township, Michigan * Yates, Misso ...

counties. He was elected with a vote majority cited between 950 and 1500 in a primarily

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 ...

district. He became a member of the standing committees on Canals, Manufactures, and Grievances. During this first senate term, then-State Senator

William M. Tweed William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below), and widely known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany H ...

was embroiled in his corruption and

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

scandal. As Chairman of the Special Committee investigating Tweed in the State Senate, Johnson went to meet with Tweed, who declared himself too sick to speak with the Senator. Being charged with only 30 days in which to act on the matter, Johnson used what he viewed as Republican attempts at interference as leverage to aid in the passage of his bill for the creation of an investigatory panel. "Boss Tweed" was convicted in 1873. Johnson was re-elected to the State Senate by a margin of less than 200 votes. During his second term as a State Senator, he was a member of the committees on Canals, Manufactures, and Militia. On October 11, 1875, Johnson returned to Seneca Falls after having been in New York City. He fell ill that afternoon and died hours later of unreported causes.

Personality

Johnson was remembered as being kind, personable, and frank. As a State Senator he was regarded as being well-versed in many subjects as well as a deft conversationalist. He was known as a jovial man, with a sharp wit and strong sense of irony.

References

*McElroy, W.H. and Alex McBride. (1875) William Johnson. ''Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York for 1875.'' (pp. 65–7) Albany, NY; Weed, Parsons and Company
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*Welch, Edgar L. (1904) William Johnson. ''"Grip's" Historical Souvenir No. 17: Seneca Falls, N.Y and Vicinity.'' (pp. 134–5) Syracuse, NY; Grip. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, William 1821 births 1875 deaths People from Williamstown, Massachusetts Politicians from Geneva, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Union Army colonels People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Democratic Party New York (state) state senators People from Frankfort, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Massachusetts