William Mindred Johnson (December 2, 1847 − September 11, 1928) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

attorney, philanthropist, and

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 ...

. He was the son of Whitfield S. Johnson, who served as

New Jersey Secretary of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

from 1861 to 1866.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in

Newton, New Jersey Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an incorporated municipality located in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is situated approximately by road northwest of New York City. As the location of the county's administrat ...

to Whitfield Schaeffer and Ellen (Green) Johnson. He attended the New Jersey State Model School at Trenton, and received a BA from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

in 1867. He continued at Princeton, receiving a Master of Arts, and went on to read law with Edward W. Scudder. He was admitted to the bar in June 1870, and practiced law in Trenton until moving to Hackensack, New Jersey in 1874. On October 22, 1872, he married Maria E. White of Trenton, and the couple had three children.

Political career

In 1895, Johnson was the first Republican elected to the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

from Bergen County. He was re-elected in 1888, and served as President of the Senate in 1900. During this term, Johnson was Acting Governor from May 21 to June 19 while Governor Voorhees was out of the country. Johnson left the State Senate when he was appointed as First Assistant Postmaster by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

in August 1900. Johnson was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1888 and 1904.

Philanthropy

Johnson was a financial supporter of Princeton, his alma mater. He donated the land and paid for the construction of a building for a public library in Hackensack. He also donated $5,000.00 for the purchase of books. Johnson additionally provided the salaries of the library staff for the first two years of its operation. In 1915, Johnson donated an additional $30,000 for an expansion of the library. The Johnson Public Library is located at 274 Main Street and is a member of the

Bergen County Cooperative Library System The Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS, pronounced "buckles") is a consortium of public libraries in the four northeastern New Jersey Gateway Region counties of Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, and Essex. Founded on October 1, 1979, the orga ...

Death

Johnson died as a result of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

at his home in Hackensack on September 11, 1928.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, William Mindred Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Republican Party New Jersey state senators 1847 births 1928 deaths