John Johnson Sr. (September 12, 1770 – July 30, 1824) was a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

attorney and judge, and the fourth Chancellor of Maryland, from 1821 to 1824.William J. Marbury,
The High Court of Chancery and the Chancellors of Maryland
, Report of the Tenth Annual Meeting of the Maryland State Bar Association, (1905), p. 137-155.

Early life

Johnson was born in Annapolis, Maryland, on September 12, 1770. He was the son of Anne and Robert Johnson, who was said to have been a revolutionary officer. This cannot be positively ascertained. The incidents of Johnson's early life "seem to be lost in obscurity".

Career

He settled in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

and there practiced his profession. He was appointed Attorney-General of Maryland on October 18, 1806, to succeed John Thomson Mason, his predecessors in that office having also included Luther Martin and

William Pinkney William Pinkney (March 17, 1764February 25, 1822) was an American statesman and diplomat, and was appointed the seventh U.S. Attorney General by President James Madison. Biography William Pinkney was born in 1764 in Annapolis in the Province ...

. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, in his ''Autobiography'', mentions John Johnson along with Luther Martin, Philip Barton Key, John Thomson Mason,

Arthur Scharff Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

James Winchester James Winchester may refer to: * James Winchester (general) (1752–1826), an American Revolutionary War officer and brigadier general during the War of 1812 * James Winchester (Maryland judge) (1772–1806), Maryland politician and judge * James ...

as a leader of the bar when he went to Annapolis to study law in the first decade of the last century. In other places he speaks of him with honor. He was Attorney-General March 25, 1811, when he was appointed Judge of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The court, which is composed ...

to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Judge Gantt. Johnson held this position for ten years, where he authored many well-regarded opinions. He was a Presidential Elector in 1816.

Chancellor of Maryland

Upon the death of

William Kilty William Kilty (1757 – October 10, 1821) was a Revolutionary War veteran and Maryland lawyer who became the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia (1801-1806) and then the 3rd Chancellor ...

, Johnson was the sole candidate considered for the office of Chancellor of Maryland. He was immediately appointed and accepted. He was appointed to this position on October 15, 1821, but his term was comparatively short and few of his opinions are given in the reports of the Court of Appeals, most of the cases that went up on appeal containing the bare decree of the Chancellor below. He was one of the Boundary Commissioners to settle the dispute between Maryland and Virginia.

Personal life

On January 9, 1794, he married Deborah (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Ghieselen) Johnson (1773–1847), the daughter of Reverdy Ghiselin. Together, they were the parents of: * Reverdy Johnson (1796–1876), who married Mary Mackall Bowie (1801–1873), the sister of Thomas Fielder Bowie *

John Johnson Jr. John Johnson Jr. (August 8, 1798 – October 4, 1856) was the last Chancellor of Maryland, serving in that office from to 1846 to 1851.William J. Marbury,The High Court of Chancery and the Chancellors of Maryland, Report of the Tenth Annual Meeti ...

(1798–1856) who would become the last Chancellor of Maryland. * Mary Johnson (b. 1802) * George Johnson (1817–1892), who married Henrietta E. Harwood (1819–1895) * William Johnson He died at

Hancock, Maryland Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,546 at the 2010 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state. The north-south distance from the Penns ...

on July 30, 1824 of fever while in discharge of his duties in the western part of the State. At the time of his death, he owned a house in

and a farm in

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...

. His estate was valued at $4,174, and he owned 10 slaves.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, John Sr. 1770 births 1824 deaths Chancellors of Maryland Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals