Joseph F. Johnston
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Joseph Forney Johnston (March 23, 1843 – August 8, 1913) was an American Democratic
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and businessman who was the 30th governor of Alabama from 1896 to 1900. He later served in the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
from August 6, 1907, to his death on August 8, 1913. As a senator, he was chair of the U.S. Senate Committee to Establish a University of the United States.


Biography

Born in
Lincoln County, North Carolina Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,810. Its county seat is Lincolnton. Lincoln County is included in the Charlotte-Concord- Gastonia, NC- SC Metropolitan Statist ...
, on March 23, 1843, Johnston attended the rural public schools in North Carolina during his youth. Johnston moved to
Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...
, at the age of seventeen and attended a
military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
. At the outbreak of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Johnston enlisted as a private in the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
. Johnston served through the duration of the war, receiving wounds at
Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne'' * ''Chic ...
, Spotsylvania, New Market, and Petersburg. By the war's end, he attained the rank of captain. After returning from the war, Johnston studied law under William H. Forney and was admitted to the bar. He practiced law in Selma, Alabama, eventually moving to
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
to become president of the Alabama National Bank. In 1887, Johnston became president of the Sloss Iron & Steel company, an industry thriving in Alabama. Johnston first entered the political arena in 1890, when he ran for Alabama governor but lost to Thomas G. Jones. In 1896, he again ran for governor. He succeeded, serving two consecutive two-year terms as Governor of Alabama. Johnston's achievements during his tenure as governor include tax reform, creation of the
Alabama Department of Insurance (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, and the establishment of a state mine inspector. Johnston decided not to seek another term as governor in 1900 and challenged
John Tyler Morgan John Tyler Morgan (June 20, 1824 – June 11, 1907) was an American politician was served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and later was elected for six terms as the U.S. Senator (1877–1907) ...
in that year's Senate election. Morgan defeated Johnston, and in 1902, Johnston sought a third term as governor against incumbent William D. Jelks. The revelation of several scandals involving Sloss Iron & Steel and misconduct in the prison system hurt Johnston, and he would ultimately lose the election. However, Johnston attained political office again by being elected to complete Senator Edmund Pettus's term after Pettus had died in office in 1907. Johnston was re-elected in 1909 and served in the Senate until his death from pneumonia in 1913. Johnston was married to Theresa Virginia Hooper of South Carolina. They had three sons: William Hooper, Edward Douglas, and Forney. He is buried in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery.


See also

* List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)


References


External links


Joseph F. Johnston at the Alabama Department of Archives & History
*
Joseph F. Johnston, late a senator from Alabama, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1915
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Joseph Forney 1843 births 1913 deaths Governors of Alabama Democratic Party United States senators from Alabama Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party governors of Alabama Alabama lawyers Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama People from Lincoln County, North Carolina People of Alabama in the American Civil War 19th-century American politicians Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama) 19th-century American lawyers