U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Johnson, William S. (1871-1942) --------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia Blue Book West Virginia Legislative Hand Book and Manual and Official Register, 1918 Compiled and edited by John T. Harris, Clerk of the Senate The Tribune Printing Company, Charleston, West Virginia Pages 736-737, State Treasurer. WILLIAM S. JOHNSON (Republican), is a native West Virginian. He was born in Fayette county, November 13, 1873(see note). His father was one of the pioneers of that section and the younger Johnson spent his early days on his father's farm. Taking advantage of the opportunities that were offered, he attended the public schools and later became a teacher. He continued in this work for a number of gears and attained such success that he was elected County Superintendent of Schools of Fayette county in 1902 by an overwhelming majority. It was his first public office. He applied efficiency and energy to his task and was rewarded with splendid success in hiss efforts to improve the school system of that county. Mr. Johnson was elected to the West Virginia State Senate in 1904, from the Ninth Senatorial District, and was re-elected in 1908. It was as a member of the State legislature that he introduced and had enacted into law—after months of perseverance—the "Johnson Pistol Law," aimed to prohibit the indiscriminate carrying of concealed weapons. Ridiculed in the beginning, it is now recognized as one of the most effective and beneficial laws of the State. Statistics show that it has practically eliminated the carrying of concealed weapons and has reduced murders fifty per cent. During his eight years of service in the State Senate, Senator Johnson was the author and patron of much progressive educational legislation, permitting West Virginia to keep step with sister States in advancing the Public school system. He assisted in the preparation of the educational code; labored for increased teachers' salaries; for extension of the school term; for State aid for poor districts; for the establishment of high schools; and through his efforts the powers and duties of county superintendents were enlarged. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Mines and Mining he secured the enactment of new mining statutes designed for the protection of 80,000 miners and re-organizing the State Department of Mines on a more efficient basis. In recognition of his services in behalf of the public schools, Senator Johnson was unanimously endorsed, in 1911, for the office of State Superintendent of Schools by the teachers of Fayette county. In 1916 he became a candidate for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer in the first state-wide primary held under the direct primary statute. He was nominated by the largest majority received by any successful candidate in the primary and was elected in November of the same year. ------------------- Note: His death-certificate gives birth year as 1871 DEATH CERTIFICATE, Kanawha County, WV #10194 Full-name: William Simpson Johnson Birth: Nov 13, 1871 in Fayette County Death: Aug 3, 1942 in Charleston, Kanawha County, WV Marital-status: married, Eina Young Occupation: Sec'y of W.Va Cripple Children Father: John Miles Johnson, born in Fayette Co. Mother: Caroline Young Johnson Informant: Eina Y. Johnson Cause of death: General abdominal carcinomatosis Burial: Springhill Cemetery, Charleston, WV ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Fayette County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/fayette/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------