Joseph Johnson (Virginia politician)

Joseph Johnson ( born December 19, 1785 Orange County, New York, † February 17, 1877 in Bridgeport, West Virginia ) was an American politician and from 1852 to 1856 Governor of Virginia. He also represented his country 1823-1847 several times with breaks in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early years

In 1791, Joseph Johnson came with his mother to Belvidere, New Jersey. In 1801 the family moved on to Bridgeport, which is part of Virginia was then, but it belongs to West Virginia today. There, Johnson was involved in agriculture. During the British -American War of 1812 he was captain of a company of Virginia.

Political rise

In the years 1815-1816 and 1818-1822 Johnson was a deputy in the House of Representatives from Virginia. Between 1823 and 1827 he was first deputy for two terms in the U.S. Congress. At that time he was a member of the Democratic Party, founded by Andrew Jackson. During this time he was chairman of the Committee for the control of expenditure on public buildings.

In 1826 he missed his re- election to the Board. After the death of Philip Doddridge, he returned between January 21 and March 3, 1833 for a short time back in the U.S. House of Representatives. After a two year break, he was re-elected to this Parliament chamber. This time he exercised his mandate three legislatures of between 4 March 1835 to 3 March 1841. During this time he was chairman of the Committee on Accounts. In 1840 he refused a renewed candidacy for Congress. In 1844, Johnson was a delegate to the national convention of the Democrats, on the James K. Polk was nominated as an outsider surprising for their presidential candidate.

More political career

Between March 4, 1845, the March 3, 1847 Joseph Johnson was again a deputy in the U.S. House of Representatives. During this time he was chairman of the committee that dealt with claims from the time of the War of Independence. In the years 1847 and 1848 he was a deputy in the House of Representatives from Virginia. Thereafter he devoted himself temporarily its agricultural interests. In the years 1850 and 1851 he was a delegate at a meeting on the revision of the Constitution of Virginia. After this reform, the Governor of Virginia was no longer as before, directly elected by the people and by the Legislature. Johnson in 1851, the first Governor of that State, who was elected in this way into the highest office in his state. He took this on January 1, 1852, and could carry up to January 1, 1856. During his tenure, the railway expansion was driven forward, especially in the western parts of Virginia. In addition, the road network was expanded.

Was overshadowed his reign of the national antagonism between the North and the South and the issue of slavery. Virginia was on the border of the two blocks. The internal division of the State manifested itself later also political: The West declared its independence and joined under the name of West Virginia to the Union, while the rest of Virginia should be part of the Confederate States, and with Richmond even put their capital. After the end of his tenure, Johnson retired from politics. He died in February 1877. Joseph Johnson was Uncle Waldo P. Johnson, who represented 1861-1862 the state of Missouri in the U.S. Senate.