Federal Courts
Welcome to the Johnson Family Club's History section on Johnson - Johnston relatives who have served in elected and appointed national government in the United States and those who have served in non-elected government posts.
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Thomas Johnson was born 4 Nov 1732 in Calvert County, Maryland. He read law in 1760 and set up practice in Annapolis, Md. from 1760-1762. He was elected to the Maryland Provincial Assembly and served 1762-1774. He was named a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774-1774. During the Revolutionary War, he became a Brigadier General of the Maryland Militia in 1776-1777. He became Governor of Maryland 1777-1780. From 1780 to 1790, he returned to his law practice. He also served in the Maryland House of Delegates 1780-1782 and 1786-1788. He was named Chief Judge of the Maryland General Court from 1790-1791.
President George Washington appointed Thomas as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on 5 Aug 1791. He was confirmed by the US Senate 7 Nov 1791. He served until his resignation 16 Jan 1793. He died 26 Oct 1819 in Frederick, Md.
William Johnson Jr. was born 27 Dec 1771 in St. James Parish, Goose Creek, South Carolina a son of William Johnson Sr. and Sarah Nightingale. His father was a native of New York City who was a descendant of Dutch pioneer settlers of New York. The father was a blacksmith who settled in South Carolina in the 1760's.
William Jr. graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) 1790 and read law in 1793. He began law practice that year in South Carolina. He was elected to the South Carolina State House of Representatives 1794-1799 and served as Speaker 1798-1799. He was named a Judge of the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas and served from 1799-1804.
William was appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Jefferson Davis 22 Mar 1804 and confirmed by the Senate 24 Mar. He served until he died in Brooklyn, NY 4 Aug 1834.
William was married to Sarah Bennett in 1794. They had two daughters. The site of his burial is unknown. A cenotaph was erected for him at St. Phillip's Cathedral Cemetery in Charleston, SC.
Johnsons-Johnstons and their descendants who have served with the United States federal court system. Those with links just below can be seen in our other Government sections.
Alan Boyd Johnson was born in 1939 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He graduated from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tn. in 1961 and received a JD degree in law from the University of Wyoming in 1964. He served in the US Air Force 1964-1967 and has served in the Wyoming Air National Guard from 1973 to the present. He began law practice at Cheyenne from 1968-1974. He became a US Magistrate for the US District Court for the District of Wyoming 1971-1974. He served as a substitute judge of the Cheyenne Municipal Court 1973-1974 and was named Judge of the Wyoming State District Court from 1974-1985.
He was nominated by Ronald Reagan on 22 Oct 1985 to a new seat of the US District Court, District of Wyoming and confirmed by the Senate on 16 Dec 1985, receiving his commission the next day. He served as Chief Judge of this court from 1992-1999.
Albert Williams Johnson was born 28 Nov 1872 in Weikert, Pa. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1896 and then read law. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served 1901-1902. He became an instructor in law at Bucknell from 1902-1926. He served as Solicitor of the Borough of Lewisburg and Union County, Pa. 1908-1912. He was named Presiding Judge of the 17th Judicial District of Pennsylvania from 1912-1922. He then served as Solicitor of the Pa. Department of Education 1922-1923.
On 21 May 1925, Calvin Coolidge appointed Albert as Judge of the US District Court of the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was confirmed by the Senate 17 Dec 1925 and commissioned the same day. He resigned 28 Jun 1945. He died 22 Mar 1957.
Alexander Smith Johnson was born 30 Jul 1817 in Utica, NY. He graduated from Yale College in 1835 and read law in 1838 and set up practice in Utica 1838-1839 and in New York City 1839-1851. He was named Judge of the New York Court of Appeals 1851 to 1859, and Chief Judge 1858-1859, when he returned to private practice in Utica, 1859-1865. He served as Treaty Commissioner 1865-1869 in negotiating a treaty with Great Britain to settle claims of the Hudson's Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural Companies and returned to private practice after that 1969-1873. He was then named a member of the NY State Commission on Appeals, 1873-1874 and Judge of the New York Court of Appeals 1874-1875.
He was appointed by Ulysses Grant to the US Circuit Court for the Second Circuit on 25 Oct 1875 and convirmed by the Senate 15 Dec 1875. He died in Nassau, Bahamas 26 Jan 1878.
Benjamin Johnson Sr. was born 22 Jan 1784 in Scott County, Kentucky to a family prominent in government and politics. He was a farmer and read law, setting up a practice in Scott Co. He became a Circuit Court Judge of Kentucky. He served as a US Territorial Judge for the US District Court for the Kentucky Territory 1821-1836.
He was appointed by President Andrew Jackson 27 Jun 1836 to a new seat of the US District Court, District of Arkansas and confirmed by the Senate 29 Jun 1836. He served from 1836 to 2 Oct 1849 when he died at Lexington, Ky.
Benjamin was a brother of Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson and US Congressmen James Johnson and John Telemachus Johnson.
Elias Finley Johnson was born 24 Jun 1860 in Van Wert County, Ohio. He was elected as a member of the Ohio State House of Representatives from 1885-1887 and a member of the Michigan State Board of Education 1898-1901. He was then appointed as a Justice of the Philippine Islands Supreme Court, when The Philippines was a territory of the US.
Frank Minis Johnson Jr. was born 30 Oct 1918 in Winston County, Alabama, the son of Frank Minis Johnson Sr. He received his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1943. He then served in the US Army during World War II from 1943-1946. After the war, he set up law practice in Jasper, AL. from 1946 to 1953 when he was named United States District Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, from 1953 to 1955, when President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him on 22 Oct as Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. He was confirmed by the Senate 31 Jan 1956.
Frank was named Chief Judge and served from 1966 - 1979. President Jimmy Carter nominated him as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on 2 Apr 1979. He was confirmed by the Senate 19 June and served to 1 Oct 1981, when he became a judge of the Eleventh Circuit. He assumed senior status on 30 Oct 1991. Frank died of pneumonia while in office, 23 Jul 1999.
George E. Q. Johnson was born 11 Jul 1874 in Harcourt, Iowa. He graduated from Tobin College in 1897 and received his law degree from Lake Foret college in 1900. He set up practice in Illinois from 1900-1927. He served as a Master in Chancery of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois 1923-1927.
President Herbert Hoover appointed him Judge of the US District Court for the Northern Districe of Illinois on 3 Aug 1932. He was not confirmed by the Senate and his service ceased on 3 Mar 1933. He returned to private practice from 1933 to 1949.
Samuel D. Johnson Jr. was born 1920 in Hubbard Hill County, Texas. He graduated from Baylor University in 1946 and received a degree in law from the University of Texas School of Law in 1949. He served as a private in the US Army during World War II 1942-1945. After the war, he set up law practice in Hillsboro, Tx. from 1949-1953. He served as County Attorney of Hill County 1953-1955 and as District Attorney 1955-1959. He was named Judge of the District Court of Texas, 66th Judicial District, 1959-1965. He was Director of the Houston Legal Foundation 1965-1967. Sam was named Judge of the 14th Court of Appeals 1967-1973. In 1973, he was named Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and served to 1979.
President Jimmy Carter nominated Sam as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on 10 Aug 1979. He was confirmed by the Senate 4 Oct. He assumed senior status 10 May 1991.
Tilman Davis Johnson was born 8 Jan 1858 in Rutherford County, Tennessee, a son of Columbus Montgomery Johnson and Mary Catherine Davis. He attended Cumberland University in Tennessee and read law. He taught school in Tennessee from 1880-1885. He served as principal of the Government Indian School at Fort Bennett, SD, 1886-1887 and at the Indian School at Fort Hall, Id. 1888-1889. He then entered law practice at Ogden, Utah from 1889-1915. He was elected to the Utah House of Representatives 1898-1899.
Tilman was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson on 2 Nov 1915 to the US District Court, District of Utah and was confirmed by the US Senate 8 Jan 1916. He assumed senior status on 28 May 1949 and ended with his death 1 Nov 1953.
William Paul Johnson was born in 1959 at Roanoke, Va. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1981 and entered the US Army Reserve that year. He received a JD law degree from Washington and Lee University in 1985 and set up law practice in Houston, Tx. from 1985-86, when he moved to Roswell, New Mexico where he practiced law from 1986-1995. He became Judge of the Fifth Judicial District Court of New Mexico from 1995 to 2001, when he was appointed by George W. Bush as Judge of the US District Court, District of New Mexico. He was confirmed by the Senate 13 Dec 2001.
CONTINUED in Part 2
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