Reverdy Johnson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Johnsonc. 1855–1865 | |
| 23rdUnited States Minister to the United Kingdom | |
| In office September 14, 1868 – May 13, 1869 | |
| President | Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Charles Adams |
| Succeeded by | John Motley |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates | |
| In office 1861–1862 | |
| United States Senator fromMaryland | |
| In office March 4, 1863 – July 10, 1868 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | William Whyte |
| In office March 4, 1845 – March 7, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | William Merrick |
| Succeeded by | David Stewart |
| 21st United States Attorney General | |
| In office March 8, 1849 – July 21, 1850 | |
| President | Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore |
| Preceded by | Isaac Toucey |
| Succeeded by | John J. Crittenden |
| Member of theMaryland State Senate | |
| In office 1821–1825 | |
| Chief Commissioner of Insolvent Debtors in Maryland | |
| In office 1817 | |
| Deputy Attorney General of Maryland | |
| In office 1816–1817 | |
| Governor | Levin Winder Charles Carnan Ridgely |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1796-05-21)May 21, 1796 Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1876(1876-02-10) (aged 79) Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Green Mount Cemetery |
| Political party | Whig (before 1860) Democratic (1860–1872) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 15 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | John Johnson Jr. (brother) |
| Education | St. John's College, Maryland (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Maryland Militia |
| Years of service | 1814 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 22nd Maryland Regiment 36th Maryland Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Reverdy Johnson (May 21, 1796 – February 10, 1876) was an American politician, statesman, and jurist fromAnnapolis, Maryland. He gained fame as a defense attorney, defending notables such as Sandford of theDred Scott case, Maj. Gen.Fitz John Porter at his courts-martial, andMary Surratt, conspirator in the assassination ofAbraham Lincoln. A former Whig, he was a strong supporter of the Union war effort. At first he opposed wartime efforts to abolish slavery until 1864, and in 1865 supportedthe 13th Amendment banning slavery.
Johnson served as United States Minister to the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1869.
Johnson was born on May 21, 1796, inAnnapolis, Maryland.[2] He was the son of a distinguishedMaryland lawyer and politician,John Johnson (1770–1824), who served asAttorney General of Maryland from 1806 to 1811 and laterChancellor of Maryland, and Deborah (née Ghieselen) Johnson (1773–1847). His younger brothers wereJohn Johnson Jr. (1798–1856), the last Chancellor of Maryland,[3][4] and George Johnson (1817–1892).[5]
He graduated fromSt. John's College in 1812 and then studied law. He was admitted to thebar in 1815.[2] In August 1814, he served as a Private in Ens. William Brewer's detachment of the 36th Maryland Militia, fighting at theBattle of Bladensburg.
In 1816, he was appointed as Deputy Attorney General of Maryland, a position he held until 1817.[6] In 1817, Johnson moved toBaltimore,[6] where he became a legal colleague ofLuther Martin,William Pinkney andRoger B. Taney, theAttorney General and laterChief Justice of the United States from 1835 until 1864. He was appointed chief commissioner of insolvent debtors of Maryland in 1817.[6] From 1821 until 1825 he served in theMaryland State Senate and then returned to practice law for two decades.[2]
In 1842, while helping North Carolina CongressmanEdward Stanly to ready himself for aduel with Virginia CongressmanHenry Wise,[7] Johnson fired a pistol at a tree, from which the ball rebounded and hit Johnson's left eye, blinding that eye and triggering the gradual onset of a sympathetic deterioration of the other eye that worsened over the rest of his life, eventually leaving him almost completely blind.[8]
From 1845 to 1849, Johnson represented Maryland in theUnited States Senate as aWhig.
From his confirmation by the Senate in March 1849 until July 1850, Johnson wasAttorney General of the United States under PresidentZachary Taylor.[2] He resigned on July 21, 1850, shortly afterMillard Fillmore took office on July 9, 1850.[9]
While U.S. Attorney General, he was allowed to help VirginiansCharles W. Russell andAlexander H. H. Stuart defend theWheeling Suspension Bridge in his private capacity, that bridge also connecting two sections of theNational Road as the first bridge crossing a major river west of the Appalachian Mountains.[10] Although the plaintiffs technically won twice based on their argument that the bridge obstructed a navigable river, the bridge was never demolished (only repaired after wind damage) and further bridges were then constructed, including one over theMississippi River at Rock Island in 1856.(which also led to litigation).
In November 1856, a large crowd, armed with guns and clubs, burned aneffigy of Johnson on the railing of the Battle Monument in front of his house to protest a speech he made in New York against President Fillmore.[11]
A conservativeDemocrat, Johnson supportedStephen A. Douglas in thepresidential election of 1860. He represented theslave-owningdefendant in the controversial 1857 caseDred Scott v. Sandford.[2][12] However, Johnson was personally opposed to slavery and became a key figure in the effort to keep Maryland from seceding from theUnion during theAmerican Civil War.
He served as a Maryland delegate to thePeace Convention of 1861 and from 1861 to 1862 served in theMaryland House of Delegates. During this time he represented Maj. Gen.Fitz John Porter at hiscourt-martial, arguing that Porter's distinguished record of service ought to put him beyond question. The officers on the court-martial, all handpicked bySecretary of WarEdwin Stanton, voted to convict Porter of cowardice and disobedience.
After the capture ofNew Orleans, PresidentAbraham Lincoln commissioned Johnson to revise the decisions of the military commandant,GeneralBenjamin F. Butler, in regard to foreign governments, and reversed all those decisions to the entire satisfaction of the administration. After the war, reflecting the diverse points of view held by his fellow statesmen, Johnson argued for a gentlerReconstruction effort than that advocated by theRadical Republicans.[13]
In 1863, he again took a seat in the United States Senate, serving through 1868. "Theantislavery amendment caught Johnson's eye, however, because it offered an indisputable constitutional solution to the problem of slavery."[14] In 1864, in a speech on the Senate floor, Johnson "cut loose from all Pro-Slavery associations by a bold declaration of strongest Anti Slavery sentiments", speaking in favor of the immediate and universal emancipation, and advocated the proposed amendment to the Constitution forever prohibiting slavery in the United States.[15]
In 1865, he defendedMary Surratt before a military tribunal.[13] Surratt was convicted and executed for plotting and aiding Lincoln's assassination. In 1866, he was a delegate to theNational Union Convention which attempted to build support for President Johnson. Senator Johnson's report on the proceedings of the convention was entered into the record of President Johnson's impeachment trial. In the Senate, he also served on theJoint Committee on Reconstruction which drafted theFourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, but he voted against passage of the amendment.[16]
In 1866, he addressed the Senate regarding the appointment of provisional governors in the Southern States.[17][18] In 1867, Johnson voted for theReconstruction Act of 1867, the only Democrat to vote for a Reconstruction measure in 1866 or 1867.[19][20]
On June 12, 1868, he was appointed minister to theUnited Kingdom,[21] beginning his term on September 14, 1868.[22] While in England, he was criticized for fraternizing with theLairds,Wharncliffes,Roebucks, andGregorios, of England, which was considered a blunder in diplomacy.[23]
Soon after his arrival in England negotiated theJohnson-Clarendon Treaty for the settlement of disputes arising out of the Civil War, including theAlabama Claims.[24] The Senate, however, refused to advise and consent toratification, and he returned home on the accession of GeneralUlysses S. Grant to the presidency.[25][26]
Again resuming his legal practice, he defendedKu Klux Klan members against indictments brought under theKu Klux Klan Act of 1871.[27][28][29]
Even though out of office, Johnson continued to offer his opinion on public matters.[30] In December 1874, he wrote toThe New York Times, stating that he hoped that after the next Presidential Election, "the General Government will thereafter be brought back into the part of the Constitution, that the limits of its powers will be maintained, that the reserved authority of the States will be recognized, and that the rights of its citizens will be faithfully preserved."[31] In December 1875, he wrote a letter to theBaltimore Sun discussing the potential impact of England's purchase of a controlling interest in theSuez Canal.[32]
In early 1876, Johnson was in Annapolis arguing the case ofBaker v. Frick in the Court of Appeals and was a guest at theMaryland Governor's Mansion.[33] On February 10, during a dinner party at the mansion, he fell near a basement door, possibly after tripping, and was killed instantly after hitting his head on a sharp corner of the mansion'sgranitebase course and then again on thecobblestone pavement.[34] He was the last surviving member of Taylor's cabinet. Upon Johnson's death, the Supreme Court Bar unanimously issued a statement that praised Johnson for his contributions to the Court, and expressed their condolences for his sudden passing.[35]
On November 16, 1819, Johnson married Mary Mackall Bowie (1801–1873),[36] the sister ofRep.Thomas Fielder Bowie[6] and the daughter of Thomas Contee Bowie (1771–1813) and Mary Mackall (née Bowie) Wootton (1776–1825), who were third cousins. Her mother was the widow of Turnor Wootton (d. 1797), whom she married in 1794 and had one child with, William Turner Wootton, and was the daughter ofMaryland Gov.Robert Bowie (1750–1818).[36] Together, Reverdy and Mary had 15 children, of which five daughters and three sons survived, including:[37]
After his death on February 10, 1876,[41] Johnson was buried at theGreen Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, MD.[42][43] Johnson had been the last surviving member of the Taylor Cabinet.[37]
In the 2011 filmThe Conspirator, Johnson is portrayed by actorTom Wilkinson.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Johnson, Reverdy".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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