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, Joseph (1785-1877) ------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Braxton County and Central West Virginia by John Davison Sutton Sutton, West Virginia, January, 1919 Pages 397-398 Governor Joseph Johnson of Harrison County, Va. Joseph Johnson was born in Orange county, New York, December 19, 1785, and came with his mother, a widow, to near Bridgeport about 1803, where he lived until his death February 27, 1877. He was self educated, and was always an eager participant in the debating societies in his neighborhood. In 1811, he was appointed a constable, his first appearance in public life. He was captain of a Company of Riflemen from Harrison county in the war of 1812 with England and marched it to Norfolk. He was elected to the Legislature in 1818. In 1823, he was elected to the 18th Congress, also the 19th; to the vacancy in the 22nd, occasioned by the death of Philip Doddridge, serving from January 21 to March 2, 1833; and to the 24th, 25th, 26th and 29th Congress retiring in 1847. He was again elected to the Legislature in 1847 and in 1850 he was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention. While serving in that body, he was elected Governor for a short term by the Legislature, and upon the adoption of the new constitution by which that office was made elective by the people, he was elected Governor for four years defeating George W. Summers. Previous to this time, the Governor had always been chosen by the legislature and thus it came to pass that Mr. Johnson was the first Governor of Virginia chosen by the suffrage of the people, and the only one who ever held the office living west of the Allegheny mountains. In the war of 1861, Governor Johnson's sympathies were with the South, and during that period he left Bridgeport, and lived quietly inside of the Confederate lines in Virginia, and returned to his home in 1865 after the cessation of hostilities. Governor Johnson was a medium sized man of agreeable manners, a persuasive stump speaker, and of great political popularity among the people. When he was a candidate for Governor, he was opposed by George W. Summers of Kanawha county, who was a finished orator, and the idol of the Whigs in Western Virginia. There were no joint debates during the campaign, and Johnson's political opponents charged that he would not dare meet Summers on the stump to discuss the issues of the campaign. To this Johnson replied, "I do not shrink from meeting Mr. Summers, for have I not met the lion of the forest and shaken the dew drops from his mane?" This illusion is to Philip Doddridge who was perhaps the ablest man in the West, and had a reputation as a scholar, lawyer and orator, exceeded by none. Governor Johnson was a good conversationalist, and having met all the prominent men of his time, his recollection of past events was exceedingly interesting. He had the respect and admiration of the people of his county, and his private life was without reproach. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Harrison County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/harrison/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------