Richard Z. Johnson (May 21, 1837 – September 1913) was an American attorney and politician who served as the attorney general of the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory ...

from 1885 to 1890.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

in 1837 to parents from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

after attending the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

Career

After graduating from law school, Johnson operated a private legal practice in

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who s ...

for five years. Johnson then lived in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

before settling in

Ruby City, Idaho Ruby City is a ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States 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 ...

. Johnson established another legal practice with partner William H. Davenport before the two dissolved their partnership. Johnson worked as a lawyer in Silver City and

Ada County, Idaho Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's ...

before relocating to

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ...

. Johnson was a member of the

Boise City Council The Boise City Council is the governing body of the City of Boise, Idaho. The council is composed of six members elected at-large for four-year terms. Three of the six seats are elected in November every odd-numbered year. Regular council meeting ...

and Idaho Territorial Council before being elected Idaho Territorial Attorney General, serving from 1885 to 1890. Johnson later worked to establish the

Boise School District The Boise School District #1 is one of 115 public school districts in Idaho. The Boise School District serves a 456 square mile area of Ada County and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The district was founded in 1865 under the auspices of Idaho ...

and was the president of the

Idaho State Bar The Idaho State Bar (ISB) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is deri ...

Personal life

Johnson died in 1913 while on a trip to

Lindau Lindau (german: Lindau (Bodensee), ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major town and island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the county ('' Landkreis ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

with his wife.

References

1837 births 1913 deaths Idaho Attorneys General People from Akron, Ohio Yale Law School alumni Yale University alumni People from Winona, Minnesota People from Owyhee County, Idaho People from Ada County, Idaho People from Boise, Idaho Idaho lawyers {{US-law-bio-stub