Richard Mentor Johnson
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| Richard Mentor Johnson | |
| Image:Richard-Mentor-Johnson.jpg
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| In office March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841 | |
| President | Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | Martin Van Buren |
| Succeeded by | John Tyler |
| In office December 10, 1819 – March 3, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Crittenden |
| Succeeded by | George M. Bibb |
| Born | October 17 1780 Beargrass, Kentucky |
| Died | November 19 1850 (aged 70) Frankfort, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican, Democratic |
| Relations | Brother of James Johnson Brother of John Telemachus Johnson Uncle of Robert Ward Johnson |
| Alma mater | Transylvania University |
| Religion | Baptist[1] |
Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was the ninth Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of Martin Van Buren. A resident of Scott County, Kentucky, Johnson served as a Representative and Senator from Kentucky, and in the Kentucky House of Representatives. His brothers James Johnson and John Telemachus Johnson and his nephew Robert Ward Johnson were all members of the House of Representatives, and Robert was a Senator as well.[2]
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[edit] Early life
Richard Mentor Johnson was born on October 17, 1780, the fifth of eleven children born to Robert and Jemima (Suggett) Johnson on the then Virginia Frontier at "Beargrass," near present-day Louisville, Kentucky.[3][4] That same year, the family removed to Bryan's Station, Kentucky in Fayette County.[1] His mother was considered a heroine for her actions during Simon Girty's raid on Bryan's Station in August 1782.[1][5] By 1784, the family had moved again, this time to Great Crossing in Scott County, on land purchased by Johnson's father from Patrick Henry and James Madison.[3]
Johnson's formal education did not begin until age fifteen; nevertheless, he attended Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.[1] Following this, he studied law under Colonel George Nicholas and James Brown, was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1802, and opened his practice at Great Crossing.[1] Later, he owned a retail store, and pursued a number of business ventures with his brothers.[4] Though from an aristocratic background, Johnson often worked pro bono for poor people, prosecuting their cases against the rich.[6] He also opened his home to disabled veterans, widows, and orphans.[4]
[edit] Relationship with Julia Chinn
Johnson never married, although family tradition holds that he broke off an early engagement due to his mother's contention that his bride-to-be was not worthy of the family.[4] He had a long-term relationship with Julia Chinn, a family slave raised by his mother and inherited from his father.[7] Johnson was unable to legally marry Chinn due to her octoroon race, but he treated her as his common law wife.[8] They had two daughters, Adaline Chinn Johnson and Imogene Chinn Johnson, who both later married white men. Johnson was entirely open about this relationship, which offended many slaveholders. Julia and Imogene both died in an outbreak of cholera in the summer of 1833.[3]
Following his wife's death, Johnson engaged in a relationship with another family slave. When she ran off with another man, Johnson had her captured and sold her at auction. He then began a relationship with her sister.[9]
[edit] Political career
Johnson's political service began in 1804 when he was elected to represent Scott County in the Kentucky House of Representatives.[4] He was only twenty-three at the time of his election, and though the Kentucky Constitution imposed an age requirement of twenty-four for members of the House of Representatives, Johnson was so popular that he was allowed to serve without questions being raised about his age.[10] During his tenure, he supported legislation to protect settlers from land speculators.[4]
Johnson held his seat until 1806 when he was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives.[10] At the time of his election in August 1806, he did not meet the U.S. Constitution's age requirement for service in the House (25), but by the time the congressional session commenced the following March, he was of the required age.[10] He would serve six consecutive terms, representing Kentucky's Fourth District from 1807 to 1813, securing one of Kentucky's at-large seats in the House from 1813 to 1815, and representing Kentucky's Third District from 1815 to 1819.[11] He continued to represent the interests of the poor as a national legislator, and his first position of note was opposition to rechartering the First Bank of the United States.[4]
Johnson served as chairman of the Committee on Claims during the Eleventh Congress.[2] The committee was charged with adjudicating financial claims made by veterans of the Revolutionary War. In his capacity as chair, he sought to influence the committee to grant the claim of Alexander Hamilton's widow to wages Hamilton had declined when serving under George Washington.[12] Though Hamilton was a champion of the rival Federalist Party, Johnson had compassion on his widow and, before the end of his term, secured payment of the wages.[12]
Many times, the cases brought before Johnson's committee involved claims for which the statute of limitations had expired due to the misplacing of paperwork during the war or the minor status of the claimant during the statute of limitations. In Johnson's view, forfeiture of the claim under these circumstances was a grave injustice. Nevertheless, the committee generally ruled against these claimants. So unpalatable was this practice to Johnson that he requested to be excused from the committee. This request prompted some of his colleagues to brand him a liberal; nevertheless, he was reassigned to the Ways and Means Committee.[13]
[edit] War of 1812
During his tenure in Congress, Johnson became affiliated with the War Hawks, a group of legislators who clamored for action against the British for the impressment of American sailors.[6] Congress approved war with the British in June 1812, and immediately following the adjournment of the session, Johnson returned to Kentucky where he raised a force of three hundred volunteers.[14] The volunteers divided themselves into three companies and chose Johnson as their leader, granting him the rank of major.[15] When Johnson's men consolidated with another battalion, Johnson was chosen to lead the entire group and was given the rank of colonel.[15] The combined force began a march to Upper Canada, but on learning of the surrender of General William Hull at the Battle of Detroit, the battalion turned and patrolled Indian lines, preventing their advance into American frontier settlements.[16]
Johnson returned to his seat in Congress in the fall of 1812, whereupon he was consulted by President Madison and Secretary of War John Armstrong regarding a plan for defeating the British. Johnson devised such a plan, and Madison and Armstrong accepted it in its entirety, except for its timing; Johnson proposed a winter campaign, but Madison and Armstrong preferred to wait until summer.[17]
Johnson left Washington, D.C. just before Congress adjourned, armed with orders to raise a regiment of 1,000 men. Volunteers turned out in droves, and Johnson quickly met his quota of men. The men organized into two battalions, choosing Johnson as their colonel and his older brother James as their lieutenant colonel. After a brief detour to assure the safety of Fort Meigs, Johnson's men joined the main force of William Henry Harrison, who was pursuing General Henry Proctor's mixed army of Indians and British forces in Upper Canada.[18]
Sent to the front of the pursuit by General Harrison, the Johnson brothers devised a strategy for engaging the enemy at the Battle of the Thames.[1] The elder brother would take a battalion of 500 men and engage the British force of 800.[19] Simultaneously, the younger brother would take the other battalion and attack the 1,500 Indians commanded by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh.[19] It was during the battle that Richard Johnson was credited by some with personally killing Tecumseh.[1] This claim was based on reports that Tecumseh was killed by a man on horseback, and Johnson, whose regiment was infantry, was the only mounted soldier in the fray.[20] Further, Johnson was seen engaged in combat with an Indian chief, and it was considered likely that Tecumseh would personally attack the leader of his enemies.[20] Despite the fact that the claim would later be called into question ("Ripsey Rampsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson Shot Tecumseh"), Johnson would later use it to good effect in his political career.
Shortly following the killing of Tecumseh, Johnson fell unconscious.[21] Removed by his men from his horse – which died minutes later – it was discovered that twenty-five musket balls had entered Johnson's clothes or his horse.[21] Five had entered his body, and it was doubted whether he could recover from his injuries.[21] Though he did eventually recover, save for a crippled hand, he was still suffering the effects of his wounds when he returned to his seat in the House in February 1814.[7]
In August 1814, British forces attacked Washington, D.C. and burned the White House. The Federalists, who had opposed the war, now proposed moving the capital to Columbia, Kentucky, a measure which Johnson opposed. The measure was defeated, and Congress instead formed a committee to investigate the circumstances that had allowed Washington to be captured. Johnson chaired this committee, and delivered its final report.[22] Following the sacking of Washington, the tide of battle turned against the British, and the Treaty of Ghent ended the war even as Johnson prepared to return to Kentucky to raise another military unit.[23] With the end of the war, he turned his legislative attention to issues such as securing pensions for widows and orphans and funding internal improvements in the West.[7]
[edit] Post-war career in the House
Johnson sponsored the unpopular Compensation Act of 1816, which paid annual salaries to Congressmen rather than paying them only for the days the body was in session.[4] The measure proved extremely unpopular with voters, and was repealed the following year.[4] Johnson himself recanted his support for it after seeing some of the bill's other supporters lose their Congressional seats.[4]
In 1817, congressional inquiry was made into the behavior of General Andrew Jackson during the war. Specifically, Jackson executed two British soldiers. Johnson chaired the committee which conducted the inquiry. The majority of the committee favored a negative report and a censure for Jackson. Johnson, a Jackson supporter, drafted a counter report that was more favorable to Jackson and opposed the censure. The ensuing debate pitted Johnson against fellow Kentuckian Henry Clay. Johnson's report prevailed, and Jackson was spared censure.[24]
President James Monroe seriously considered Johnson for the position of Secretary of War after Henry Clay declined his nomination, but the post ultimately went to John C. Calhoun.[4] Nevertheless, Johnson wielded considerable influence over defense policy as chair of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War during the Fifteenth Congress.[2] In 1818, he approved an expedition to build a military outpost near the present site of Bismarck, North Dakota on the Yellowstone River; he awarded the contract to his brother James.[4] Though the Yellowstone Expedition was an ultimate failure and cost the U.S. Treasury a good deal of money, the Johnsons escaped political ill will in their home district because the venture was seen as a peacekeeping endeavor on the frontier.[4]
[edit] Service in the Senate
Johnson retired from the House in 1819, and during a brief return to the Kentucky General Assembly later that year, helped secure passage of a law that abolished imprisonment as a penalty for debtors in Kentucky.[1] In December 1819, he resigned his seat to fill the Senate seat vacated by the resignation of John J. Crittenden.[1] He was reelected to a full term in 1823.[2] In total, his Senate tenure ran from December 10, 1819 to March 4, 1829.[2] He served as chairman of the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Congresses. In 1821, he introduced legislation chartering Columbian College (later The George Washington University) in Washington, D.C..[1] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1829.[2]
Like many of his fellow Kentuckians, Johnson found himself in financial difficulty following the Panic of 1819.[6] Already known for securing government contracts for himself, as well as his brothers and friends, he established the Choctaw Academy, a school devoted to the education of the Indians, on his farm in Scott County in 1825.[25] Though he never ran afoul of the conflict of interest standards of his day, some of his colleagues considered his actions ethically questionable.[6]
Another pet project Johnson supported was prompted by his friendship with John Cleves Symmes, Jr., who proposed that the Earth was hollow. In 1823, Johnson requested that his colleagues in the Senate fund an expedition to the center of the Earth. The proposal was soundly defeated, receiving only twenty-five votes.[9]
[edit] Return to the House
Following his failed Senatorial re-election bid, Johnson returned to the House, representing Kentucky's Fifth District from 1829 to 1833, and Thirteenth District from 1833 to 1837. During the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses, he again served as chairman of the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads, and chaired the Committee on Military Affairs during the Twenty-second, Twenty-third, and Twenty-fourth Congresses.[2] In 1832, he secured passage of a federal measure to end the practice of debt imprisonment.[7] Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton credited Johnson's bill as providing the impetus for cessation of the practice of debt imprisonment in nearly all of the United States.[4]
[edit] Vice-President
In 1836, Johnson was selected as the Democratic Party's candidate for Vice President, as running mate to Martin Van Buren. Johnson's background as a Westerner and Indian fighter made him a good balance to Van Buren, an elegant Easterner. The Democrats won the election, but the 23 electors from Virginia refused to vote for Johnson due to his relationship with Julia Chinn, as mentioned above. This left Johnson with exactly 147 of the 294 electoral votes, one less than a majority. Therefore, per the 12th Amendment, the Senate elected the Vice President. The Senate voted by a margin of 33 to 16, with 3 senators absent, to elect Johnson on February 8, 1837.
This was the only time the Senate ever elected the Vice President. In the chaotic election of 1824, the electors were very divided over the Presidency, but well over 2/3 of them voted for John Calhoun for Vice President.
Johnson served as Vice President from March 4, 1837, to March 4, 1841. In 1840, the Democratic Party convention voted not to renominate him, instead choosing to make no nomination. Van Buren was renominated, campaigning without a running mate. Undaunted by this lack of confidence from his peers, Johnson embarked on an independent campaign for President.[26] He received only forty-eight electoral votes, and lost his home state.[27]
[edit] Later life and legacy
Following his term as vice-president, Johnson returned to Kentucky to tend to his farm and oversee a tavern he owned.[7] He again represented Scott County the Kentucky House from 1841 to 1843.[1] He ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate in 1842 and 1848, and futilely sought his party's nomination for president in 1844.[6] In 1845, he served as a pallbearer when Daniel Boone was re-interred in Frankfort Cemetery.[6]
Johnson was elected the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1850. By this time, however, his physical and mental health was already failing. On November 9, the Louisville Daily Journal reported that "Col. R. M. Johnson is laboring under an attack of dementia, which renders him totally unfit for business. It is painful to see him on the floor attempting to discharge the duties of a member. He is incapable of properly exercising his physical or mental powers."[27] He died of a stroke on November 19, just two weeks into his term.[6] He was interred in the Frankfort Cemetery, in Frankfort, Kentucky.[2]
There are counties named for Johnson in Johnson County, Illinois, Johnson County, Iowa, Johnson County, Kentucky, Johnson County, Missouri, and Johnson County, Nebraska.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kleber, p. 475
- ^ a b c d e f g h Congressional Bio
- ^ a b c Bevins, Richard M Johnson narrative Personal and Family Life
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hatfield, Vice Presidents (1789–1993)
- ^ Burke, Window to the Past
- ^ a b c d e f g Stillman, Eccentricity at the Top
- ^ a b c d e Richard M. Johnson (1837 – 1841)
- ^ Mills, The Vice-President and the Mulatto
- ^ a b McQueen, p. 19
- ^ a b c Langworthy, p. 9
- ^ The Political Graveyard
- ^ a b Langworthy, p. 10
- ^ Langworthy, pp. 10–11
- ^ Langworthy, pp. 13–14
- ^ a b Langworthy, p. 14
- ^ Langworthy, pp. 14–15
- ^ Langworthy, p. 15
- ^ Langworthy, p. 16
- ^ a b Langworthy, p. 20
- ^ a b By His Hand the Chief Tecumseh Fell
- ^ a b c Langworthy, p. 25
- ^ Langworthy, pp. 30–31
- ^ Langworthy, p. 31
- ^ Langworthy, pp. 35–36
- ^ Forman, The Choctaw Academy
- ^ McQueen, p. 20
- ^ a b McQueen, p. 21
[edit] References
- Bevins, Ann. Richard M Johnson narrative Personal and Family Life. Georgetown and Scott County Museum. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Burke, Henry Robert. Window to the Past. Lest We Forget Communications. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- "By His Hand the Chief Tecumseh Fell" (PDF), The New York Times, 1895-08-13. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Foreman, Carolyn Thomas (December 1928). "The Choctaw Academy". The Chronicles of Oklahoma 6 (4). Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Hatfield, Mark O. (1997). "Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th Vice President (1837-1841)", Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789–1993 (PDF), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 121–131. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Index to Politicians: Johnson, O to R. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- Kleber, John E. (1992). "Johnson, Richard Mentor", in Kleber, John E.: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter, Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813117720.
- Langworthy, Asahel (1843). A Biographical Sketch of Col. Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky. New York City, New York: Saxton & Miles. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
- McQueen, Keven (2001). "Richard Mentor Johnson: Vice President", Offbeat Kentuckians: Legends to Lunatics, Ill. by Kyle McQueen, Kuttawa, Kentucky: McClanahan Publishing House. ISBN 0913383805.
- Mills, David. "The Vice-President and the Mulatto", The Huffington Post, 2007-04-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- Richard Mentor Johnson at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Richard Mentor Johnson (1837 – 1841). University of Virginia. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
- Stillman, Michael. Eccentricity at the Top: Richard Mentor Johnson. Americana Exchange. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
[edit] Further reading
- Powell, Carolyn Jean. "What's love got to do with it? The dynamics of desire, race and murder in the slave South". University of Massachusetts Amherst.
- Shenkman, Richard; Kurt Reiger (2003). "The Vice-President Who Sold His Mistress At Auction", One-Night Stands with American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents. HarperCollins, pp. 71–72. ISBN 0060538201. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- Sobel, Robert (1990). "Johnson, Richard Mentor", Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774-1989. Greenwood Press, p. 204. ISBN 0313265933. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- Turner, William Hobart; Edward J. Cabbell (1985). Blacks in Appalachia. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, pp. 75–80. ISBN 081310162X. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
[edit] External links
- Find-A-Grave profile for Richard Mentor Johnson
- Julia Chinn
- Richard Mentor Johnson at Encyclopedia Americana
- Richard Mentor Johnson at Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia
- Report authored by Johnson regarding mail delivery on the Sabbath
- "An Affecting Scene in Kentucky", a political print attacking Johnson for his relationship with Julia Chinn
- "Carrying the War into Africa", a political print attacking Johnson for his relationship with Julia Chinn
United States Senators from Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Class 2: Brown • Thruston • Clay • Bibb • Walker • Barry • Hardin • Crittenden • Johnson • Bibb • Crittenden • Morehead • J. Underwood • Thompson • Powell • Guthrie • McCreery • Stevenson • Beck • Carlisle • Lindsay • Blackburn • Paynter • James • Martin • Stanley • Sackett • Robsion • Williamson • M. Logan • Chandler • Stanfill • Cooper • Chapman • T. Underwood • Cooper • Barkley • Humphreys • Cooper • Huddleston • McConnell Class 3: Edwards • Marshall • J. Breckinridge • Adair • Clay • Pope • Bledsoe • Talbot • W. Logan • Talbot • Rowan • Clay • Crittenden • Metcalfe • Clay • Meriwether • Dixon • Crittenden • J.C. Breckinridge • Davis • Machen • McCreery • Williams • Blackburn • Deboe • McCreary • Bradley • Camden • Beckham • Ernst • Barkley • Withers • Clements • Morton • Cook • Ford • Bunning | Image:Senate cap.PNG |
de:Richard M. Johnson es:Richard Johnson fr:Richard Mentor Johnson id:Richard Mentor Johnson it:Richard Mentor Johnson sw:Richard M. Johnson ja:リチャード・メンター・ジョンソン no:Richard Mentor Johnson simple:Richard Mentor Johnson fi:Richard Mentor Johnson sv:Richard Mentor Johnson
Categories: Vice Presidents of the United States | Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees | United States Senators from Kentucky | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky | Kentucky State Senators | Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives | Transylvania University alumni | Kentucky lawyers | 1780 births | 1850 deaths | Deaths by stroke | Baptists from the United States
