Rienzi Melville Johnston (September 9, 1849February 28, 1926) was an American journalist and politician. He edited the ''

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston P ...

'' from 1885 to 1919, and served a 29-day term in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

in January 1913 after the resignation of Joseph Weldon Bailey. His term remains the fifth shortest in Senate history. Johnston was a member of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

from 1917 to 1920, and also its President pro tempore from 1918.

Early life

Johnston was born in

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,813 in 2020. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersville is known as the "Kaolin Capital of the World" due to ...

, on September 9, 1849 (some sources say 1850). He was born the son of Freeman W. Johnston and his wife Mary J. (née Russell). In his early years, Johnston worked in a print shop, but at the age of 12 was enlisted as a drummer in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

, serving a year from 1862 to 1863. After being

discharged Discharge may refer to: * The act of firing a gun * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from service Flow * Discharge (hydrology), the a ...

, he re-enlisted in 1864 and served until the end of the war. After the war, he returned to newspaper work.

Newspaper career

In the early 1870s, Johnston became editor of the ''Savannah Morning News''. He traveled to Texas in 1878, where he took on the editorship of the ''Crockett Patron''. After a year at the ''Patron'', he went on to edit the ''Corsicana Observer'' and established the ''Independent'' there. In 1880, Johnston moved to

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, where he wrote for the '' Austin Statesman''. The ''

'' also enlisted him to serve as a correspondent to cover the state capital. After a reorganization in 1885, Johnston was chosen as the new editor-in-chief of the ''Houston Post'', and later became president of the Houston Printing Company. As a noted editorial writer, Johnston was frequently quoted by other newspapers across the United States. He also served as the first Vice President of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

for two years.

Political career

Johnston, through his newspaper influence, became a leader of the Democratic Party in Texas. He declined the nomination for

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

in 1898. From 1900 to 1912, he served as a member of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

. At the beginning of January 1913,

Oscar Branch Colquitt Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Texas, 25th governor of Texas from January 17, 1911, to January 19, 1915. He was a member of the Democratic Party ...

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

, appointed Johnston to the

to fill the unexpired term of Joseph W. Bailey. Johnston served a brief term, from January 4, to January 29, 1913. Johnston's 29-day term is the second shortest in Senate history, behind John N. Heiskell's 24 days. Elected to replace Johnston was

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the f ...

who would go on to introduce the Eighteenth Amendment to the Senate, implementing the nationwide prohibition of alcohol. Following his Senate term, Johnston returned to Houston and resumed his role as editor of the ''Post''. He retired from the newspaper business in 1919. In 1916, Johnston was elected to the

, representing Houston. He served in office from January 9, 1917, to January 12, 1920, through the 35th and 36th sessions of the legislature. On March 27, 1918, Johnston was elected as President pro tempore of the Senate. During the 36th legislature, Johnston was chair of the Towns and City Corporations Committee and vice chair of the Public Printing Committee. He resigned his seat in 1920, having been appointed by Governor William P. Hobby as Chairman of the State Prison Commission. In a special election, Lynch Davidson, later a state Lieutenant Governor, won Johnston's former seat. A collection of Johnston's papers is held at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

in Houston. His name has also been given to Rienzi, the

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 5,000 years of history with nearly 80,000 works from six continents. Follo ...

's house museum for European decorative arts. The house formerly belonged to Johnston's grandson, Harris Masterson III.

Personal life

Johnston married Mary E. Parsons in 1875, and they had three children. He died on February 28, 1926, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Houston.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14 *
Guide to the Rienzi Melville Johnston papers, 1899-1926
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Rienzi 1849 births 1926 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American newspaper editors Democratic Party United States senators from Texas Democratic Party Texas state senators People from Sandersville, Georgia Editors of Texas newspapers 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature 20th-century United States senators