St. Clair County Missouri
Biographies
J
JEFFRIES, John B.
John B. Jeffries, farmer, section 1, is a son of Elijah G. and Elizabeth P.
(Winfrey) Jeffries, natives of Kentucky, and was born in Carroll County,
Missouri, December 5, 1853. In 1865 he moved, with his parents to McDonough
County, Illinois, and in 1869 they settled in Bates County, coming to St.
Clair County in 1875, where he has since resided. He was reared on a farm
and has followed farming during life. His present place contains eighty-six
acres and he also has forty acres of timber. Mr. Jeffries was married
February 25, 1875, to Miss Sarrilda A. Pease. They have two children: Willie
B. and Anna B. -- History of St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
JOHN, George W.
George W. John, of the firm of G. W. John & Co., grain dealers, owes his
nativity to Delaware County, Indiana, where he was born March 24, 1833. From
his fourteenth year he was reared in Wayne County, Indiana, where he also
received his education, having made farming his occupation from his youth.
In October, 1868, he emigrated to Missouri, and settled near Roscoe, St.
Clair County, and was there engaged in farming till the fall of 1872.
Locating on a farm on Ohio Prairie he followed agricultural pursuits till
June, 1878. He then came to Appleton City and embarked in the grain
business. Mr. John was married May 18, 1853, to Miss Lucy Goetel, of
Pennsylvania. They have five children: Curtis E., Mary V., Lincoln, Hudson
B. and Elmer E. Mr. J. is a member of the I.O.O.F. fraternity. He belongs
to the M. E. Church. -- History of St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
JOHNSON, Joseph
Johnson, Joseph (uncle of Waldo Porter Johnson), a Representative from
Virginia; born in Orange County, N.Y., December 19, 1785; moved with his
mother to Belvidere, N.J., in 1791 and thence to Bridgeport, Va. (now West
Virginia), in 1801; acquired a knowledge of rudimentary studies by personal
effort; engaged in agricultural pursuits; serve din the War of 1812 as
captain of a company of Virginia riflemen; member of the State house of
delegates in 1815, 1816, and 1818-1822; elected as a Democrat to the
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Congresses (March 4, 1823-March 3, 1827);
unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1826 to the Twentieth Congress;
elected to the Twenty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Philip Doddridge and served from January 21 to March 3, 1833; was
not a candidate for re-nomination in 1832; elected to the Twenty-fourth,
Twenty-fifth, and Twenty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1841);
declined to be a candidate for re-nomination in 1840; delegate to the
Democratic National Convention at Baltimore in 1844 which nominated James K.
Polk, of Tennessee, for President of the United States; elected to the
Twenty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847); declined to be a
candidate for re-nomination in 1846; again a member of the State house of
delegates in 1847 and 1848; resumed agricultural pursuits; delegate to the
Virginia constitutional convention of 1850 and 1851; Governor of Virginia
1852-1856; presidential elector in 1860; died in Bridgeport, Harrison
County, W. Va., February 27, 1877; interment in the old Brick Church
Cemetery. -- Biographical Directory of the American Congress
JOHNSON, Joseph
The Johnson Line – This is a family which has attained great prominence in
Virginia, and which dates back to pre-revolutionary days, the first
progenitor of whom record is made having been a soldier in the revolutionary
war. His son, Joseph Johnson, born December 10, 1785 in Orange county, New
York, afterward became governor of Virginia, being the only governor of that
state ever chosen west of the Alleghenys. After his father’s death, which
occurred when the child was only five years old, his mother removed with her
family to Sussex county, New Jersey, and in 1801 again removed, settling in
Bridgeport, Harrison county, Virginia; here Joseph Johnson resided until his
death in 1877. He was altogether self-educated, having engaged in farm work
upon his first arrival in Virginia, for a farmer named Smith, whose daughter
he subsequently married. He was earnestly desirous of an education, however,
and studied at night and in his spare time; he organized a debating society
in his neighborhood, and frequently participated in its discussions. In 1811
he was appointed a constable, his first appearance in public life; and in
the war of 1812 became captain of a company of riflemen from Harrison
county. He was elected to the legislature in 1818, and in 1823 was elected
to the eighteenth congress; subsequently serving at many other sessions. In
1850 he was chosen as a member of the constitutional convention, and while
serving in this body was elected governor of Virginia, the only West
Virginian that ever governed Virginia. At the outbreak of the civil war,
Governor Johnson’s sympathies were with the south, and during hostilities he
left Bridgeport, making his home quietly in Virginia, within the Confederate
lines. At the close of the war he returned to Bridgeport. Governor Johnson
was a medium-sized man, of agreeable manners and good conversation, being
very popular both in public and private life. He was perhaps the only man in
Virginia who had been before the people almost continuously for forty years,
that was never defeated in any of his aspirations for public favor. Many of
his descendants have attained prominence in pubic life in one way or
another. Waldo Porter Johnson, a nephew, born and reared at Bridgeport,
after studying law and removing to Missouri, became a lieutenant of cavalry
in the Mexican war, a member of the legislature, a judge of the circuit
court, a member of both the United States and Confederate senates, and
president of the Missouri constitutional convention after the civil war.
J.W. Johnson, a first cousin of the latter, is judge of the district court
in Austin, Texas; Dr. Millbanks Johnson is a prominent physician, and
president of a large gold mining company in Los Angeles, California; Jesse
H. Johnson is in the consular service of the United States, having been at
various times appointed to many different posts; Gail Borden Johnson, a
grandson of the late Gail Borden, of condensed milk fame, is one of the
country’s millionaires; and others scattered throughout the Union are
eminent in various ways. Joseph Johnson, a nephew of Governor Joseph
Johnson, born in Baltimore, Maryland, was one of this extensive and
well-known family. He was of Scotch-English ancestry, removing in his young
manhood from Maryland to Virginia, and passing the greater portion of his
life in this latter state. He was a man of sterling qualities, a gentleman
of the old school, cultured and refined. His especial genius was for
machinery and engineering, in which he showed so rare an ability that few
have been able to equal him along his special lines. He married Nancy Lang,
who was of Scottish lineage. Her grandfather, John Lang, came to this
country directly from Scotland, and his son James, father of Mrs. Johnson,
became a man of great importance in Harrison county. He was a very extensive
land owner, over a thousand acres of land around Clarksburg, now so abundant
in the production of oil and gas, belonging to him. He had two sons,
brothers of Nancy Lang; David, who was a colonel in the Confederate army,
losing his life in battle at McDowell, Virginia; and Theodore F., major and
brevet colonel of the Sixth West Virginia Cavalry during the same war. The
latter lived in Baltimore, Maryland, as a dentist, and became prominent in
the Republican party, running for congress and being defeated by only a very
small majority. He was the author of a volume on the civil war entitled
“Loyal West Virginia”, and for many years prior to his death, at Baltimore
in 1908, held a government position in the Treasury Department. Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Johnson were the parents of five children, three sons and two
daughters: 1. Leander, a prominent physician, now deceased. 2. Theodore, a
machinist. 3. Lebbeus, a large land owner in Harrison county. 4. Martha,
widow of C.L. Davidson, who was sheriff of Taylor county for one term, with
headquarters at Grafton; she is a woman of wealth, owning land in Harrison
county which is rich in oil and coal. 5. Olive, married Charles W. Ebert, as
previously stated. -- West Virginia History, Vol. 3
JOHNSON, Joseph F.
Joseph F. Johnson was born October 3, 1849, in Middle Tennessee, and was the
son of William D. Johnson, who was born July 2, 1826. He married about the
year 1840, to Miss Lucinda Carrington, born September 1, 1812. They had five
children: James A., born May 27, 1842, died December 8, 1868; William W.,
born May 20, 1844, died during the war; Henry J., born February 15, 1847;
Lucinda C., born April 6,1852, and Joseph. In 1857, emigrating to St. Clair
County, Missouri, Mr. Johnson purchased a tract of land, upon which he
settled and lived till his death, April 13, 1859. Mrs. J. died at
Springfield, Missouri, May 1, 1863. Joseph F. commenced life for himself at
the age of thirteen years as a cattle driver, but in a few months became
employed by the government as post teamster, following this business about
two years. Then with his brother, (James) and sister, he removed to Olathe,
Johnson County, Kansas, and after six months he and his brother, with
others, started over the plains to New Mexico. On account of a severe snow
storm, they were compelled to abandon the enterprise. Returning to Kansas,
he was engaged in farming for four years, when he went to Howard County,
which was his home for two years. In 1871 he came to this county. Mr.
Johnson was married September 14, 1873, to Miss L. Zada J. Rippetoe, of St.
Clair County. They have had four children: William E. C., born June 1, 1874;
died July 4, 1881; Charles A., born December 30, 1875; Amy R., born February
2, 1878, and Etta D., born October 18, 1882. His place contains 166 acres of
valuable land, well adapted for grazing. He is Democratic in his political
views. Himself and wife are connected with the M. E. Church South. --
History of St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
JOHNSON, Thomas Benton
Thomas Benton Johnson, fourth son of Col. William Johnson and his first
wife, Olive Waldo was born May 9, 1835 in Harrison county, VA and died
November 1, 1873 in Whitesboro, Texas. About 1857, without the knowledge of
his family, he was married in Baltimore, MD to Mary Jane (Mollie) Utterback,
of Harrison County and with his bride, took the cars for Clarksburg, VA. His
father was ticket agent for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at the
Bridgeport station in Harrison county at the time and the baggage man on the
express train on which the couple were riding, finding a new trunk with
“Mrs. Thomas B. Johnson” on it, thought he was doing the owner a great favor
by tossing it off at the Bridgeport platform as the train slowed, without
stopping, on its way to Clarksburg. This served as announcement to Col.
Johnson of his son’s marriage, which he disapproved and without a word, took
a paint brush and crossed out the name on the trunk. Owing to the
opposition, the bride returned to her family and the erring bridegroom was
sent, with his sister, to relatives in Missouri. At Osceola, Thomas B.
Johnson clerked in the store of William L. Vaughn and Co., and with other
young employees, had sleeping quarters in the loft of the establishment.
He read law in the office of his brother, Judge Johnson and was admitted to
the bar September 3, 1860.
Thomas B. Johnson was one of the signers of the appeal to the citizens of
St. Clair County to keep the peace May 18, 1861. When Governor Jackson
called for troops to repel the Federal invasion of Missouri, he volunteered
for six months and was commissioned June 8, 1861, Captain of C Company, 2nd
Division of Cavalry of the 8th Division of the Missouri State Guard and
served with all his energy and enthusiasm. His company was in Col. James
McCoun’s 1st battalion of 250 men, also known as Independent Cavalry, with
Gen. Rains as division commander. They were in the engagement July 5 at Coon
Creek, ten miles north of Carthage against the Federals under Sigel. In the
action at Dry Wood Creek September 2, 1861, against the Kansas Troops of
Lane, Montgomery and Weir, and in all engagements of this outfit until it
was absorbed into the Confederate service. In the summer of 1862, Johnson
was on recruiting duty in Missouri with Col. Sidney Jackman and with his
brother, Col. W. P. Johnson. Then, he seems to have resigned his Captaincy
while the Missouri troops were at Tupelo and Saltila, Mississippi in
September that year and to have served the Confederate Commissary, being
employed by Thomas Shirley of San Antonio to procure cotton for the
government. He remained in Texas until after the war. He and his friend,
Captain Richardson, secured positions with a St. Louis firm as drummers. He
seemed to have had no communication with his wife. One night while he was
having dinner in a St. Louis hotel, he was informed there was a gentleman to
see him. He asked that the visitor be requested to wait but was told the
person could not wait. So, leaving his dinner unfinished, he went into the
lobby to find himself confronted by his wife, her brother, now a resident of
St. Louis, and the Chief of Police. He welcomed his wife and the next
evening gave a dinner to present her to his friends and to celebrate their
reunion after the long separation. They stayed on in St. Louis in spite of
the cholera epidemic that year, but later moved to Texas, taking with them
the daughter, Olive, who was born after Mr. Johnson had left Virginia. He
entered into the
mercantile business, first at Corsicana, then at Whitesboro where he resided
at the time of his death.
Capt. Johnson died of pneumonia November 1, 1873 after an illness of four
days. At the time, he was a candidate for the state Senate with a good
prospect of election. His business ventures had not proven successful, so
his wife, in poor health herself, was left with many problems. The eldest
daughter, Olive, had developed tuberculosis and the younger daughter was not
yet three years of age. -- St. Clair County Democrat December 5, 1940
JOHNSON, Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore Johnson was born in Osceola in 1851, and is the son of the Hon.
Waldo P. Johnson, who was born in 1817, in Harrison County, Virginia. His
grandfather was William Johnson, a native of New York, and an uncle of his
was once governor of Virginia. Waldo P. Johnson came to Missouri and settled
in this county in 1842. He received a collegiate education, studied law at
Clarksburg, Virginia, and was admitted to practice at that place. Coming
west he located in St. Clair County. He first opened an office in Osceola,
and has since been occupied in the practice of his profession. In 1846, he
was elected a member of the legislature after having started with the army
for the Mexican War, but he returned and occupied his seat. In 1848, he was
elected county treasurer. In 1850, he was elected circuit attorney, and in
1851, he was succeeded by the Hon. Burr H. Emerson, Mr. J. having been
elected judge of this judicial district. In 1861, he was elected United
States Senator, and the same year was chosen one of the commissioners to
meet in Washington to negotiate terms of peace. He cast his fortune and
influence with the Confederacy, and resigned his seat in the United States
Senate, and became a member of the Confederate Senate. During the war he was
appointed colonel of a Confederate regiment, and remained with it until the
close of hostilities. In 1875, he was elected a delegate to the state
constitutional convention, and was elected its president. After remaining
for some two years in Sedalia, he returned to this city, and soon after
removed to St Louis, where he has since lived. His large property and real
estate interests in this county and Southwestern Missouri requires much of
his time in Osceola. He was married in 1847, to Miss Emily Moore. She was
the daughter of Thomas Moore, of Maryland. They have a family of four sons:
William T., Thomas Moore, St. Clair and Charles P. Thomas Moore received a
classical education at Notre Dame College, Indiana, graduating in 1871, and
receiving the degree of A. B. He studied law with his father, and was
admitted to the bar in 1872. In 1874, he was elected prosecuting attorney of
St. Clair County, and discharged the duties of the office with great
satisfaction. In 1877, he moved to St. Louis County, and opened an office
for the practice of law, and also edited a paper. He returned to St. Clair
County in 1879, and is now connected with the law firm of Johnson & Lucas.
In 1881, he was elected mayor of the city, and also re-elected in 1882. Mr.
J. married Miss Alice Barr, in May, 1881. She is the daughter of Rev. C. J.
Barr, of this county. Mr. Johnson is a close student, is well versed with
all the leading authors, and he is recognized as a man that has given more
attention to scientific questions than any one in the county. -- History of
St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
JOHNSON, Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore Johnson 1851 – 1919. Thomas M. Johnson I maintained a law
office until about 1905. In preparation for legal practice, he read the
Missouri statutes from beginning to end; he remembered them well, and was
considered an able lawyer, but he was not very assiduous in his profession.
In his diaries there are several entries such as “Took Thealtetos to the
office and read four chapters”, and it is likely that a considerable part of
his reading was done in business hours. However, he was not too much
absorbed in philosophy to observe with keen interest the course of national
and international affairs, or to take his part in politics and in the life
of the community. He served a second term as Prosecuting Attorney in
1898-1900. He was the first Mayor when Osceola became a city of the fourth
class, in 1883, and was elected to the same office in 1887, 1893, and 1895.
For some twenty-five years he was president of the school board. Next to his
own education, his greatest interest was the education of others; and he
attended meetings of the National Education Association even in his later
years, when otherwise he traveled little.
Study required books, and Mr. Johnson’s library eventually included about
8,000 volumes. The larger sections were naturally those of philosophy,
religion, and Greek and Latin literature. Although he had no interest in
rare books as such, he felt some satisfaction in the possession of Marsilius
Ficinus’ version of Plotinos, published in 1492, and certain other works
which, in his opinion, combined excellence in book-making with philosophical
value. In 1899 he built a small stone house, on his home premises, which
served chiefly as a library building. There men of kindred interests were
welcomed as visitors, and for years he maintained an extensive
correspondence with such men in many places. However, his associates were by
no means all of this sort. He had a genial and friendly feeling toward many
whose intellectual attainments and aspirations were slight; toward virtually
everyone, indeed, except those whom he regarded as pseudo-philosophers or
pseudo-intellectuals. He included in this category one or two conspicuous
figures among contemporary scholars, and remarked on them with some vigor.
He died on March 2, 1919. Mrs. Johnson died on July 2, 1948, having survived
her husband by twenty-nine years. -- Historic Osceola Calendar, Limited
Edition, 1995
JOHNSON, Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore Johnson, lawyer, was born in Osceola, Missouri March 30, 1851,
son of Honorable Waldo P. Johnson and Emily (Moore) Johnson. His education
was begun in the schools of Osceola and continued in Clarksburg, Virginia
and at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In 1871 he was graduated from Notre Dame
University, at South Bend, Indiana, after which he returned to Osceola and
began the study of the law with his father. Immediately after his admission
to the bar, in 1872 he began practice in Osceola, but in 1873 he located in
Nevada, Missouri where he remained about a year. Early in 1874 he returned
once more to Osceola, and in the fall of that year was elected Prosecuting
Attorney of St. Clair County as the candidate of the Democratic party,
serving one term and declining a re-nomination. In the spring of 1877 he
removed to St. Louis County, but in 1879 he again located in St. Clair
County, and since that time has resided there continuously. In 1882 he was
elected a member of the Board of Trustees and President of the village of
Osceola, and upon the incorporation of the town as a city of the fourth
class, he became its Mayor, serving in that office for ten years. He has
also been a member of the Board of Education for about ten years, and is now
its President. In 1898, as the candidate of the Democracy of St. Clair
County, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney, and was offered a re-nomination
in 1900, but declined to become a candidate. His interest in business
affairs is limited to his connection with the Johnson Lucas Banking Company,
in which he is a stockholder and director. Fraternally he is identified with
the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Royal Templars of Temperance. His
marriage occurred in May 1881, and united him with Alice Barr, a native of
what is now Centre Township, St. Clair County, and a daughter of Reverend
C.J. Barr, a minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, who died in
1897. They are parents of four children, viz: Ralph P., Waldo P., Helen M.
and Franklin P.
Mr. Johnson is one of the most distinguished biblilophiles and philologists
of the West, an eminent authority on Greek and Latin literature, and a
gentleman of most scholarly attainments. He has not only been a liberal
contributor to philosophical and scientific journals, but founded and
published two periodicals which were warmly welcomed in the modern world of
philosophy. In 1884 he began the publication of “The Platonist, an Exponent
of Philosophic Truth”, of which he issued four and a half annual volumes.
The scope of the journal included not only the wisdom religion of the
archaic period, Oriental as well as Occidental philosophy, but philological
investigations, translations and interpretations of the later writers, the
various utterances of gifted and enlightened individuals, and in short,
every variety of inquiry and speculation relating to the interior life. In
1888 he founded “Bibliotheca Platonica, an Exponent of the Platonic
Philosophy”, the publication of which he conducted one year. The chief aim
of this publication was the critical and philosophic examination and
interpretation of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and the Neoplatonists;
and appropriate treatment of the literary history and characteristics of the
Platonic writings, philological researches, emendations of the text,
philosophical analyses, and interpretations, etc. He is now (1900) preparing
translations from Greek of the works of Plotinus and Damascius, and an
original work on the life and writings of Thomas Taylor, the Platonist. In
addition to the literary work here noted, Mr. Johnson has delivered numerous
lectures on subjects included within the realm of philosophy and
literatures, the last course being that presented in 1895 before the
Unitarian Society of Salt Lake City. The large number of literary works
which he has personally collected during his busy life, many of which are
very rare and priceless in value, he has housed in a commodious and
handsomely appointed stone building erected by him in 1899, which is
distinguished as being the only private library building in the State
devoted exclusively to that purpose. -- Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
Senate Years of Service: 1861-1862 ; Party: Democrat
Johnson, Waldo Porter, (nephew of Joseph Johnson), a Senator from Missouri;
born in Bridgeport, Harrison County, Va., September 16, 1817; attended
public and private schools; graduated from Rector College, Pruntytown,
Taylor County, Va., in 1839; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced
practice in Harrison County, Va., in 1841; moved to Osceola, St. Clair
County, Mo., in 1842 and continued the practice of law; served in the war
with Mexico as a member of the First Missouri Regiment of Mounted
Volunteers; member, State house of representatives 1847; elected circuit
attorney in 1848 and judge of the seventh judicial circuit in 1851; resigned
in 1852 and resumed the practice of law; member of the peace convention of
1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the
impending war; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served
from March 17, 1861, to January 10, 1862, when he was expelled from the
Senate for disloyalty to the government; served in the Confederate Army
during the Civil War; attained the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Fourth
Missouri Infantry; appointed a member of the Senate of the Confederate
States to fill a vacancy; resided in Hamilton, Canada, from August 1865 to
April 1866; returned to Osceola, Mo., and resumed the practice of his
profession; president of the State constitutional convention in 1875; died
in Osceola, Mo., on August 14, 1885; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery,
Kansas City, Mo.
-- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter, senator, was born near Bridgeport, Va., Sept. 16,
1817. He was a nephew of Gov. Joseph Johnson; was educated in Virginia,
removed to Missouri and was admitted to the bar in 1843, practising at
Osceola. He served in the Mexican war in 1846, but was discharged in 1847,
having been elected a representative in the Missouri legislature. He was
prosecuting attorney for St. Clair county; judge of the judicial district,
and served as U.S. senator in the 39th congress, from July 4, 1861, to
January 10, 1862, when he was expelled on account of having joined the
Confederate army during the recess of congress. In the special session of
July, 1861, he offered the resolution for a peace conference to be held at
Louisville, Ky. He rejoined the Confederate army; was wounded at Pea Ridge,
March 8, 1862; was promoted lieutenant-colonel; took part in the evacuation
of Corinth, Miss., May 30, 1862, after which he was detailed to special
service until appointed by Governor Reynolds to the C.S. senate, to fill a
vacancy. After the war he fled to Hamilton, Canada. He subsequently returned
to Osceola, Mo., and was president of the convention of October, 1875, that
adopted a new state constitution. He died in Osceola, Mo., Aug. 14, 1885. --
Biographies of Notable Americans, 1904
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
Waldo P. Johnson 1817 – 1885. Waldo P. Johnson, eminent as a lawyer, soldier
and statesman, was born September 16, 1817, in Bridgeport, Virginia. His
parents were William and Olive (Waldo) Johnson, both natives of the same
state. He was educated at Rector College, Prunytown, Virginia and graduated
in 1839. He studied law, and began practice in September 1842, his license
admitting him to “the superior and inferior courts of Virginia”. In 1843 he
removed to Osceola, St. Clair County, where two of his maternal uncles were
already established. The village then comprised a dozen houses, and a
population of about fifty people. At the opening of the Mexican War, in
1846, he enlisted in a company commanded by his uncle, Captain David Waldo,
which was assigned to the First Regiment Missouri Mounted Volunteers,
Colonel A.W. Doniphan. He served with this command in New Mexico, and was
there mustered out to enable him to take his seat in the Legislature of
Missouri, to which he had been elected during his absence. In 1848 he became
circuit attorney, and in 1851 he was elected judge of the Seventh Judicial
District; in both positions he displayed the qualification of the well
trained lawyer and sagacious jurist. In 1852 he resigned from the bench to
resume his law practice, in order to give attention to personal interests of
commanding importance.
He was one of the five commissioners appointed by the General Assembly of
Missouri in the Peace Congress which assembled at Washington City February
4, 1861. March 18th, following, he was chosen United States Senator, to
succeed James S. Green. Judge Johnson, in common with many eminent and
discriminating men, in the light of the events of the war period and the
disorganized conditions existing during many subsequent years, became deeply
impressed with the conviction that the adoption of the measure he
introduced, would, in the language of a biographer, have probably “prevented
the most destructive war that ever took place between people calling
themselves civilized; the numerous outrages upon liberty would have been
avoided, and neighbor the assassination of Lincoln, nor the assassination of
those charged with his assassination, would have crimsoned the pages of our
history.” The rejection of peace measures determined the course of Judge
Johnson. Upon the adjournment of Congress he made a brief visit to Virginia,
where his family were temporarily staying, and then returned to Missouri to
enter the Confederate service.
Judge Johnson was married October 27, 1847 to Miss Emily Moore, of
Clarksburg, Virginia. Of this union were born four sons and a daughter, of
whom the latter died in infancy. The sons were: William T., a lawyer of
Kansas City; Thomas M., a highly accomplished Greek Scholar and lawyer of
Osceola; St. Clair of Osceola; and Charles P., of Texas. Judge and Mrs.
Johnson both died at Osceola, Missouri, the former August 14, 1885, and the
latter May 31, 1884. Their remains were removed by their children to Forest
Hill Cemetery, in the southern suburbs of Kansas City, and over them has
been placed a monument of Missouri Granite, the reverse side of which is
emblazoned with the Confederate flag. Excerpts from the Johnson Letters
courtesy of Andrew and Hiedi Johnson. August 27, 1885 – The news of the
death of Waldo P. Johnson, of Osceola, will occasion regret in every part of
the state, few men are so generally known in Missouri, and it is not too
much to say that none are more generally respected than was he – identified
with the best interests of the state for over a quarter of a century, he has
been honored by many and high positions of public trust, and in his dying
hour he had the proud consciousness that not one of these trusts had been
dishonored. A man who has lived so long in public life as he, and made a
record as stainless as his, is a man in whose death every citizen, however
humble, sustains a loss. – Ralls County Record. -- Historic Osceola
Calendar, Limited Edition, 1995
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
Waldo P. Johnson, eminent as a lawyer, soldier and statesman, was born
September 15, 1817 in Bridgeport, Virginia. His parents were William and
Olive (Waldo) Johnson, both natives of the same State. He was educated at
Rector College, Pruntytown, Virginia and graduated in 1839. He studied law,
and began practice in September 1842, his license admitting him to “the
superior and inferior courts of Virginia”. In 1843 he removed to Missouri,
locating at Osceola, St. Clair County, where two of his maternal uncles were
already established. The village then comprised a dozen houses, and a
population of about fifty people. At the opening of the Mexican War in 1846,
he enlisted in a company commanded by his uncle, Captain David Waldo, which
was assigned to the First Regiment Missouri Mounted Volunteers, Colonel A.W.
Doniphan. He served with this command in New Mexico, and was there mustered
out to enable him to take his seat in the Legislature of Missouri, to which
he had been elected during his absence. After a tedious journey he arrived
at Jefferson City the day previous to the opening of the legislature in
which he took a leading part from the beginning to the end of the session.
In 1848 he became Circuit Attorney, and in 1851 he was elected Judge of the
Seventh Judicial District; in both positions he displayed the qualifications
of the well trained lawyer and sagacious jurist. In 1852 he resigned from
the bench to resume his law practice in order to give attention to personal
interests of commanding importance. An earnest Democrat, and a close friend
of Senator Thomas H. Benton, his party predilections and his sincere
admiration for the great statesman of Missouri, impelled him in 1854 to
accept a nomination for Congress against John S. Phelps; the contest
resulted in his defeat by a small majority. From this time until 1861 he
devoted his attention to his law practice, adding greatly to his reputation,
and acquiring large property. He was one of the five Commissioners appointed
by the General Assembly of Missouri to the Peace Congress which assembled at
Washington City, February 4, 1861. March 18th following, he was chosen
United States Senator, to succeed James S. Green. It has been asserted by
some that he was elected as a Union man, but this statement requires
explanation. It is true that he favored the Union as against secession, but
he held fealty to the Union as conditioned upon a settlement of the question
at issue without sacrifice of the rights and liberties of the Southern
people. At that time he believed that an amicable adjustment could be made,
but he was also determined to cast his lot with the people of the South if
war should ensue. Holding these sentiments, he took his seat in the U.S.
Senate July 4, 1861, in the special session called by President Lincoln. He
soon became convinced that the dominant party was determined upon war, he
made earnest endeavor to dissuade it from that purpose. After the battle of
Manassas, disastrous to the Federal troops, and the day previous to the
adjournment of the Senate (August 5, 1861), he offered the following as an
amendment to a bill then pending: “And be it further enacted, that this
Congress recommends the Governors of the States to convene their
Legislatures, for the purpose of calling an election to select two delegates
from each congressional district, to meet in a general convention at
Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Monday in September next; the purpose of
the said convention to be to devise measures for the restoration of peace to
our country.” This proposition was defeated, but nine votes being cast for
it, and twenty nine votes against it. The fact is mentioned in Greeley’s
“American Conflict” without comment, but accompanied with a footnote stating
that the author of the amendment, with his colleagues, soon afterward
entered the Confederate Army. Judge Johnson, in common with many eminent and
discriminating men, in the light of the events of the war period and the
disorganized conditions existing during many subsequent years, became deeply
impressed with the conviction that the adoption of the measure which he
introduced, would, in the language of a biographer, have probably “prevented
the most destructive war that ever took place between people calling
themselves civilized; the numerous outrages upon liberty would have been
avoided, and neither the assassination of Lincoln, nor the assassination of
those charged with his assassination, would have crimsoned the pages of our
history.” The rejection of peace measures determined the course of Judge
Johnson. Upon the adjournment of Congress he made a brief visit to Virginia,
where his family were temporarily staying, and then returned to Missouri to
enter the Confederate service. He was twice wounded while leading his
command in the battle of Elkhorn Tavern, or Pea Ridge. He was with General
Price in the operations at Corinth, Mississippi, in 1862, and was afterward
placed on recruiting service in Missouri under special orders from the
Confederate War Department, and by the close of the year had placed in
service a regiment of cavalry and six companies of infantry. This
accomplished, until the fall of 1863, he was engaged in confidential
service. He was then appointed by Governor Reynolds of Missouri, to fill the
vacancy in the Confederate States Senate, occasioned by the death of Senator
R.L.Y. Peyton, and served in that body until its existence was terminated by
the downfall of the Confederate Government. During his service he was among
the confidential advisors of President Davis and an ardent supporter of his
policies. In March 1865, upon the final adjournment of the Confederate
Congress, he journeyed to Shreveport, Louisiana and was with the Missouri
troops there when they surrendered. As the United States government was
causing the arrest of many persons who had been officially connected with
the Confederate government, he made his way to Canada, traveling by river
from New Orleans, to Cairo, and thence by way of Chicago, constantly in
presence of United States troops, but escaping recognition. His family
rejoined him at Hamilton, Canada, and he made his residence there until
April 1866 when, by prearrangement he went to Washington City, where he was
paroled, and then returned to his home in Osceola, Missouri. Under the terms
of his parole he was required to report when and where directed to “answer
any charge which might be preferred against him by the President of the
United States”, but no presentment was ever made and he remained unmolested,
not withstanding he neither sought pardon or removal of political
disabilities, and never receded from the position he had taken at the outset
with reference to the principles involved in the great struggle. While
rejoicing that the war, with all its horrors and excesses, was ended, he had
no regret for his personal part in the terrible drama. Believing that until
1861 the government rested upon the consent of all the governed, and
afterward only upon the dictum of a majority, he ever held to the conviction
that the South had contented for the true and better principles, and that
civilization in America sustained a shock and serious loss in its failure to
achieve independence. For ten years succeeding the restoration of peace he
engaged in the active practice of his profession and in the restoration of
such of his personal possessions as escaped the ravages of war. When, in
1875, the people of Missouri determined upon an equitable Constitution to
replace the arbitrary enactments which had grown out of military rule,
public sentiment called upon him to afford his State the benefit of his wise
counsel, and he was elected to the Constitutional Convention and chosen as
its President, during an absence enforced by his professional duties, and
without aid of caucus or combination. Over this boy, remarkable for the
ability and sagacity of its members, he presided to the entire satisfaction
of his constituents and the people of the State. In order to more
conveniently attend to important professional duties he located, in 1876, in
St. Louis where he remained until 1884, when he returned to Osceola, but
continued to maintain an office in the former city. Judge Johnson was
married October 27, 1847 to Miss Emily Moore of Clarksburg, Virginia. Of
this union were born four sons and a daughter, of whom the latter died in
infancy. William T. is a lawyer in Kansas City; Thomas M. is a highly
accomplished Greek scholar and lawyer at Osceola; St. Clair C. and Charles
P. are residents of Texas. Judge and Mrs. Johnson both died at Osceola,
Missouri, the former August 14, 1885 and the latter May 31, 1884. Their
remains were removed by their children to Forest Hill Cemetery, in the
southern suburbs of Kansas City, and over them has been placed a monument of
Missouri granite, the reverse side of which is emblazoned with the
Confederate flag. Judge Johnson was a constant reader of the Holy Scriptures
and an earnest admirer of the Roman Catholic Church as the best organized
exponent of Christianity. While living the life of a practiced believer, he
held connection with no religious organization, and his faith found its
assertion in his personal purity, kindliness of heart, and deeds of
benevolence. His character was made the subject of many glowing panegyrics
by eminent orators and authors. Honorable Banton G. Boone, then Attorney
General of Missouri, in presenting in the Supreme Court from the bar of St.
Louis and Henry County a memorial to Judge Johnson, said “Brilliant and
commanding as was the public and professional career of Judge Johnson, his
private life shone with a still more resplendent luster. He was possessed of
an elevation of thought, a purity of purpose and nobility of action worthy
of earnest emulation. A career full of earnest endeavor and honorable action
is equally the pride and glory of the State, and among all the great names
of Missouri, both of the living and the dead, there is none more honored
than that of Waldo P. Johnson”. -- Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
Johnson, Waldo Porter, (1817-1885), also known as Waldo P. Johnson of
Missouri. Born in Bridgeport, Harrison County, Va. (now W.Va.), 16 September
1817. Nephew of Joseph Johnson. Democrat. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Army
during the Mexican War; member of Missouri state house of representatives,
1847; state court judge in Missouri, 1851; U.S. Senator from Missouri,
1861-62; colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; Senator from
Missouri in the Confederate Congress, 1863-65; delegate to Missouri state
constitutional convention 15th District, 1875. Expelled from the U.S. Senate
on January 10, 1862 over his support for secession. Died in Osceola, St.
Clair County, Mo., 14 August 1885. Interment at Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas
City, Mo. -- Political Graveyard
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
Waldo Porter Johnson, born near Bridgeport, Virginia, September 16, 1817, a
nephew of Gov. Joseph Johnson; was educated in the schools of his native
state, pursued a course of study in law, later removed to Missouri and was
admitted to the bar, practicing his profession at Osceola; he enlisted for
service in the Mexican war in 1846, but was discharged the following year,
having been elected a representative in the Missouri legislature; he served
in the capacity of prosecuting attorney for St. Clair County, judge of the
judicial district, and United States senator in the thirty-ninth congress,
from July 4, 1861, to January 10, 1862, when he was expelled on account of
having joined the Confederate army during the recess of congress; in the
special session in July, 1861, he offered the resolution for a peace
conference to be held in Louisville, Kentucky; he was wounded at Pea Ridge,
March 8, 1862; was promoted lieutenant-colonel; took part in the evacuation
of Corinth, Mississippi, May 30, 1862, after which he was detailed to
special service until appointed by Gov. Reynolds to the Confederate States
senate, to fill a vacancy; after the war he fled to Hamilton, Canada, but
subsequently returned to Osceola, Missouri, and was president of the
convention of October, 1875, that adopted a new state constitution; he died
in Osceola, Missouri, August 14, 1885. -- Virginia Biographical Encyclopedia
JOHNSON, Waldo P.
United States Senators from Missouri From 1820 to 1900. Waldo P. Johnson,
St. Clair County, elected March 18, 1861; expelled from the Senate for
disloyalty January 10, 1862, and died in Osceola after three days illness of
pneumonia, August 15, 1885. He was buried at Osceola, but during the winter
of 1898-9 his remains were removed to Forest Hill Cemetery, which occupies
the site of the Westport battlegrounds, about eight miles south of the city.
His heirs erected at his grave a monument, on one side of which is a fac
simile of the Confederate flag, and on the other a brief record of his
public services. -- Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter
Waldo Porter Johnson. Senate Years of Service: 1861-1862. Party: Democrat.
State Historical Society of Missouri.
Johnson, Waldo Porter, (nephew of Joseph Johnson), a Senator from Missouri;
born in Bridgeport, Harrison County, Va., September 16, 1817; attended
public and private schools; graduated from Rector College, Pruntytown,
Taylor County, Va., in 1839; studied law; admitted to the bar and commenced
practice in Harrison County, Va., in 1841; moved to Osceola, St. Clair
County, Mo., in 1842 and continued the practice of law; served in the war
with Mexico as a member of the First Missouri Regiment of Mounted
Volunteers; member, State house of representatives 1847; elected circuit
attorney in 1848 and judge of the seventh judicial circuit in 1851; resigned
in 1852 and resumed the practice of law; member of the peace convention of
1861 held in Washington, D.C., in an effort to devise means to prevent the
impending war; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served
from March 17, 1861, to January 10, 1862, when he was expelled from the
Senate for disloyalty to the government; served in the Confederate Army
during the Civil War; attained the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Fourth
Missouri Infantry; appointed a member of the Senate of the Confederate
States to fill a vacancy; resided in Hamilton, Canada, from August 1865 to
April 1866; returned to Osceola, Mo., and resumed the practice of his
profession; president of the State constitutional convention in 1875; died
in Osceola, Mo., on August 14, 1885; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery,
Kansas City, Mo.
-- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter
Johnson, Waldo Porter, soldier, lawyer, jurist, United States senator, was
born Sept. 16, 1817, in Harrison county, Va. He became prosecuting attorney
and judge of his judicial district in Missouri, and was elected to the
United States senate as a democrat, serving form 1861 to 1862, when he was
expelled because he had joined the confederate army. He died Aug. 14, 1885,
in Osceola, Mo. -- Encyclopedia of American Biography, Herringshaw’s 19th
Century
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter
Johnson, Waldo Porter, senator, was born near Bridgeport, Va., Sept. 16,
1817. He was a nephew of Gov. Joseph Johnson; was educated in Virginia,
removed to Missouri and was admitted to the bar in 1843, practicing at
Osceola. He served in the Mexican war in 1846, but was discharged in 1847,
having been elected a representative in the Missouri legislature. He was
prosecuting attorney for St. Clair county; judge of the judicial district,
and served as U.S. senator in the 39th congress, from July 4, 1861 to
January 10, 1862, when he was expelled on account of having joined the
Confederate army during the recess of congress. In the special session of
July 1861, he offered the resolution for a peace conference to be held at
Louisville, Ky. He rejoined the Confederate army; was wounded at Pea Ridge
March 8, 1862; was promoted lieutenant-colonel; took part in the evacuation
of Corinth, Miss. May 30, 1862, after which he was detailed to special
service until appointed by Governor Reynolds to the C.S. senate, to fill a
vacancy. After the war he fled to Hamilton, Canada. He subsequently returned
to Osceola, MO., and was president of the convention of October, 1875, that
adopted a new state constitution. He died in Osceola, MO., Aug. 14, 1885. --
Biographies of Notable Americans, 1904
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter
JOHNSON, WALDO PORTER, soldier, lawyer, jurist, United States senator, was
born Sept. 16, 1817, in Harrison county, Va. He became prosecuting attorney
and judge of his judicial district in Missouri, and was elected to the
United States senate as a democrat, serving from 1861 to 1862, when he was
expelled because he had joined the confederate army. He died Aug. 14, 1885,
in Osceola, Mo. -- Encyclopedia of American Biography
JOHNSON, William Tell
William Tell Johnson, lawyer, was born August 4, 1848, at Osceola, Missouri,
a son of the eminent lawyer and statesman, Judge Waldo P. Johnson. He was
educated at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, graduating in the class
of 1868. He read law under his father, who directed his studies with a
thoroughness inspired in large measure by parental hope and anticipation
that he would prove a worthy successor to himself. He was admitted to the
bar June 29, 1872, at Butler, Missouri, and entered upon practice at
Osceola. In 1879 he removed to Kansas City, his present home. In 1874 he
formed a law partnership with John H. Lucas, and in 1883 William H. Lucas
was admitted to the firm, the former name of Johnson & Lucas remaining
unchanged. The business of the firm, for many years, included nearly all
important litigation and legal affairs in St. Clair County, extending
throughout southwest Missouri, particularly in appellate court cases. In
Kansas City the practice of the firm is mostly in the interest of
corporations, and they represent the John I. Blair Estate, the St. Louis &
San Francisco Railway Company, and many other large interests. Mr. Johnson
displays a high order of ability in all departments of his profession. He is
thorough and painstaking in the preparation of his cases, and in
presentation before court or Jury he is clear and convincing. His speech is
plain and forceful, unmarred by excess or ornateness of language, or tricks
of oratory, incapable of misconstruction, and holding attention for its
intrinsic meaning. Broad in his views, he is a model citizen, and his deep
interest in matters pertaining to the general welfare has moved him to
render willing and able assistance to railroads and other public
enterprises, at various times and in various localities. In religion he is a
Roman Catholic, and in politics a Democrat. Mr. Johnson was married
September 15, 1885 to Miss Agnes M. Harris, a liberally educated and highly
cultured lady, daughter of Dr. Edwin E. Harris, of St. Clair County, who
rendered distinguished services as a surgeon in the Confederate Army, and
died in the line of duty. Three children, Margaret, Robert and Mary, have
been born to this marriage. -- Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901
JOHNSTON, James Riley
James Riley Johnston was born in Warren County, Missouri, October 2, 1823,
and was the son of Joseph Johnston, a Virginian by birth, born February 16,
1784, who in 1805 married Miss Rebecca Bryan. She was originally from Clark
County, Kentucky, and was born April 8, 1790. They had thirteen children, of
whom only four are now living. In 1843 the family removed to St. Clair
County, Missouri, and here the senior Johnston died March 12, 1850, his
widow surviving until April 5, 1875, when she also passed away. James R.
came into possession of the homestead after the death of his father, but in
1877 exchanged this property for a farm of 120 acres in Polk Township,
moving upon it in the spring of that year. In 1872 he was elected sheriff of
this county and re-elected in 1874, and during his term of office he resided
in Osceola. Mr. J. was married September 25. 1856, to Miss Harriet Gist,
daughter of Thomas and Margaret Gist, of this county. To them were born
eight children Joseph Emmett (died July 24, 1865), Ellen, William T., John
H. (died in infancy), Andrew B., Eva O., Fannie and Rebecca M. Mr. J.
followed farming as his chief occupation, but at times taught school. In
1880 he was appointed census enumerator for Polk and Dallas Townships, but
on account of ill health was obliged to give it up. He died on June 11,
1880, after an illness of nineteen days, and having been a member of the
Masonic lodge at Osceola, was buried by that order in the family cemetery in
Jackson Township. He was a zealous member of the Christian Church, and
during his life was a man honored and respected by all for his uniform
kindness and upright daily walk. -- History of St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
JUDY, Thomas W.
Thomas W. Judy, farmer, section 5, a native of Montgomery County, Kentucky,
was born August 13, 1842, his parents being Jeremiah V. and Lucelia (Allen)
Judy, Kentuckians by birth. The former died in April, 1862. In 1843. the
family removed to Cooper County, Missouri, where Thomas grew up on a farm.
In 1859, he emigrated to California, and was there engaged in freighting and
mining. In the fall of 1869, he returned to Cooper County, Missouri, and the
following spring again visited California, embarking in mercantile pursuits
at Wheatland. In 1879, he retraced his steps to Missouri, settling in St.
Clair County. He now has a fine farm of 150 acres. Mr. Judy was married June
28, 1874, to Miss Nettie Kesner, originally from Pennsylvania. They have
four children: Maud, Fred, Murray and Harry. He is a member of the I.O.O.F.
fraternity. -- History of St. Clair Co., Missouri, 1883
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