K. A. Johnson (October 8, 1848November 2, 1929) was an American farmer, businessman, and Republican politician from

Columbia County, Wisconsin Columbia County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,490. Its county seat and largest city is Portage, Wisconsin, Portage. The county ...

. He represented all of Columbia County in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

during the 1913 session.

Biography

K. A. Johnson was born on a farm in the town of

Leeds, Wisconsin Leeds is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 813 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Keyeser, Leeds, Leeds Center, and North Leeds are located in the town. The town took its name from the ci ...

, in Columbia County. Johnson spent virtually his entire life in Columbia County. In addition to managing his own farm in Leeds, for many years he also operated a general store in the neighboring unincorporated community of Morrisonville, Wisconsin. He was also president of the Arlington Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and was involved in local politics in Leeds, serving on the town board and as a representative on the county board of supervisors. In 1901, he moved into the nearby city of

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Portage was named for ...

, though he continued his business interests in the Morrisonville area. In 1912, he ran for

, seeking the Republican Party nomination through the new

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

process. In the September primary, he defeated

Elmer E. Haight Elmer E. Haight (April 1, 1861 – February 11, 1934) was an American businessman, farmer, and politician. Haight was born in the town of Empire, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, the son of James H. Haight and Caroline Haight. Haight moved ...

, who had been the incumbent in Columbia County's 2nd Assembly district—Columbia County's two districts were abolished in the 1911 redistricting, combining into a single county-wide district. He went on to defeat the Democratic candidate George Standenmeyer in the November general election. He represented Columbia County in the 51st Wisconsin Legislature, and ran for re-election in 1914, but lost the Republican primary to

Robert Caldwell Robert Caldwell (7 May 1814 – 28 August 1891) was a British missionary and linguist. A missionary for the London Missionary Society, he arrived in Company Raj, British India at age 24, and studied the local language to spread the word of the ...

Personal life and family

K. A. Johnson married Suzanna Whitelaw, of Caledonia, Columbia County, Wisconsin, in 1883. They had at least six children and were active in the local

Presbyterian church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

. K. A. Johnson died at his home in Portage on Saturday, November 2, 1929. He was interred at Portage's Silver Lake Cemetery.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1912

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, K. A. 1848 births 1929 deaths People from Leeds, Wisconsin People from Portage, Wisconsin Politicians from Columbia County, Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature