San Luis Obispo County Biographies

HON. CHARLES H. JOHNSON

Submitted by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


HON. CHARLES H. JOHNSON'S biography would form an interesting chapter 
in the history of San Luis Obispo, were all the material at hand, as his life has 
been one of stirring activity in travel, adventure and public affairs. His early years 
were passed in Maryland, his native State, and after graduating at college he left his 
home for the sake of travel to distant countries. He first visited the Pacific Ocean and 
China, and returned home. In a few months he again set out, this time for England and 
the East Indies, and China again, in company with an uncle who went as agent for a 
Baltimore East India house. He made the tour and safely returned home again. Meeting 
John Finley, art acquaintance of the family, and forming with him a partnership, he 
loaded the ship Rhone for a voyage to the west coast of South America, Sandwich 
Islands and California, while the Mexican war was in progress. He had assurance from 
the authorities at Washington that the Government intended to possess California. The 
Rhone sailed from Baltimore December 22, 1847, visited the various ports on the west 
coast of South America, and arrived at Honolulu July 18, 1848. There the news 
of the discovery of gold was received; and, instead of disposing of his goods shipped 
for that port, he and his partner purchased a large addition to their cargo, and on the 
thirty-first sailed for San Francisco, arriving August 11. His vessel was the first merchantman 
to enter the harbor of San Francisco after the publication in California of the treaty of 
Guadaloupe Hidalgo. The gold discovery and the rush of business in San Francisco 
caused a change in all the plans of these young merchants. Their design had been, after 
disposing of the cargo for Mr. Finley, to take the ship to Canton and purchase a cargo 
of tea for the New York market, while Mr. Johnson would purchase land in San Francisco, 
take an overland trip to Baltimore, and return and settle in California in the mercantile 
business; but the times did not permit the execution of these plans. The cargo of the 
Rhone brought over $100,000 in San Francisco, and the opportunity for establishing a 
great mercantile house offered itself and required prompt attention. Accordingly, the 
house of Finley, Johnson & Co. was soon established, and in a short period it became the 
leading house in California, importing heavily from Peru, Chili, Sandwich Islands and Mexico. 
Their prosperity was all that could be expected or even desired. Great warehouses were 
built and stored with hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of goods; but the great fire 
of May 4, 1850, swept away $4,000,000 of the property of the merchants of San Francisco, 
the firm of Finley, Johnson & Co. being among the unfortunate. No insurance could be 
obtained, and their loss was total. However, they, with the pioneer merchants generally, 
proceeded forthwith to resume business and build up as if nothing had happened. 
Ships poured in their cargoes, business prospered and all seemed in a fair way of regain- 
ing the fortunes lost. The merchants of that period were generally quite free from debt, 
and when they lost a few hundred thousand they generally had cargoes of their own on 
the way, or at least a credit that secured them consignments. 

But scarcely had they rebuilt their stores and filled them with goods when, June 14, 
1850, a still more extensive fire swept them away, involving a loss of $5,000,000. Again 
the work of rebuilding was begun and business resumed. The buildings erected this 
time were more expensive, many being deemed fire-proof; but on the night of May 
3, 1851, the cry of fire was again raised, and during the next day � which was the anni- 
versary of the first fire mentioned � eighteen blocks of the business portion of the city 
went down before the flames, involving a loss of between $10,000,000 and $12,000,000! 
Finley, Johnson & Co. then had in store over a quarter of a million dollars' worth of mer- 
chandise, all of which was destroyed by the fire. This so greatly reduced their resources 
that they settled with their creditors and retired from business. 

Mr. Johnston removed to Monterey, and soon thereafter was appointed Deputy Col- 
lector of Customs of the district, and afterward Inspector of Customs for the port of 
San Luis Obispo, coming to this county in 1852 and settling here permanently in 1856. 
The position of Inspector he held until 1860, when he resigned to take the seat in the 
Legislature, he having been elected to the Assembly of 1860-'61. During his long 
residence in San Luis Obispo he has always been known as a public-spirited citizen and a 
close student of the affairs of the world. He has written and spoken much on the early 
history of this county, and many extracts from his writings have been given in other 
works, some of which have drifted into this volume. His eloquent and instructive ora- 
tion delivered before the San Luis Obispo Grange, in 1874, was published in pamphlet 
form and most superbly printed. On account of its rich historical allusions, we wish we 
had space to reprint the oration entire. 

History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties, California  - by 
C.M. Gidney, Benjamin Brooks, Edwin M. Sheridan, Vol I, II.  -Lewis Publ. Co., 
Chicago, 1917.