Henry S. Johnston
Henry Simpson Johnston ( born December 30, 1867 in Evansville, Indiana, † January 7, 1965 in Perry, Oklahoma ) was an American politician and from 1927 to 1929, the seventh Governor of the State of Oklahoma.
Early years and political rise
Even as a child moved with his parents to Henry Johnston Kansas. He attended Baker University and Methodist College. In 1891 he came to Colorado, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar afterwards. Soon after, he moved to Perry in Oklahoma Territory.
In his new home, Johnston made a meteoric career. Between 1897 and 1904 he was a member of the territorial Government Council. At the same time, he served from 1901 to 1904 as a district attorney in Noble County. In 1906, he was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of Oklahoma. After that, he was until 1908 a member and President of the Senate of the new state of Oklahoma. In 1912 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, was nominated at the Woodrow Wilson as a presidential candidate. In the following years until 1926, Johnston was in Oklahoma in large parts of the population very popular. His followers came primarily from the camp of Prohibition advocates from various Protestant churches and the Freemasons. Due to its popularity, it was not difficult for him in 1926 with 55:44 percent of the vote to Republican Omer K. Benedict to be elected as the new governor of his state.
Governor of Oklahoma
Johnston took up his new post on January 10, 1927. His term began promising. He managed to push through a budget that the school system financially much better than previously presented, among others. However, the good agreement with the legislature did not last long. Soon there were disagreements. One point of criticism of the governor was the influence of his private secretary, a Mrs. Hammond, to his political decisions. The legislature then threw the governor before he let influence in office, and sought to impeachment proceedings. In addition there were other political differences of opinion. Governor Johnston responded much like his pre-predecessor Jack C. Walton four years earlier, as an impeachment brought against him: He used the National Guard. In contrast to Walton, he received the support of the Supreme Court. He managed to avoid the accusation of November 1927, to officiate the following months unmolested.
His end came in 1928 with his support for the Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith. This was a Catholic, while Johnston's followers were zealous Protestants. Smith was for the end of Prohibition, Johnston's trailer for maintaining the appropriate law and eventually Smith spoke out against religious zeal. Nevertheless, Johnston supported him and then got into the political sidelines, especially since the newly elected Republican U.S. President Herbert Hoover appointed numerous Republican of Oklahoma in state offices. Now the Democrats allied with the Republicans in Oklahoma against the governor and initiated a renewed impeachment. Overall, Johnston was charged with eleven alleged offense. Finally, he was charged with the eleventh charge - general incompetence - guilty. On January 21, 1929 Johnston was suspended and officially removed from office on March 20. Lieutenant Governor William J. Holloway had to finish the unexpired term as governor.
Further CV
Even after his dismissal Johnston remained politically active. Between 1932 and 1936 he was again in the Senate of Oklahoma. He then practiced as a lawyer again. Johnston reached a very advanced age of 97 years. He died in January 1965. Henry Johnston was married to Ethel L. Littleton, with whom he had four children.