St. Clair County People of Interest
WALDO PORTER JOHNSON (1817 - 1885)
Historic Osceola Calendar, Limited Edition, 1995
Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901
For further information see
Thomas Moore Johnson,
William Tell Johnson and
Thomas Benton Johnson.
Historic Osceola Calendar, Limited Edition, 1995:
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
Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901:
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”.
Politics of Senatorial Elections:
James S. Green, of Canton, was very effective on the stump. In the canvass of
1860 he supported Breckinridge, bringing on himself the ire of the Douglas men,
by whose efforts he lost his seat in the Senate, the prize falling to Waldo P.
Johnson, of St. Clair County. Although Johnson was elected as a Union man, he
resigned his seat when the Civil War began and joined the Confederate Army,
while Green stayed at home and fell into habits of dissipation. Senator Johnson
was president of the constitutional convention of 1875. His colleague at the
time of his resignation was Governor Polk, also resigned; but the Senate early
in 1862 expelled them both, notwithstanding. Provisional Lieutenant Governor
Hall, in the absence of Governor Gamble, appointed Robert Wilson, of Platte
county, who had succeeded General Sterling Price as president of the State
convention of 1861-2, to fill Johnson’s seat, and John B. Henderson, of Pike, to
fill Polk’s until the Legislature should elect.
Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901:
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.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress:
JOHNSON, Waldo Porter,
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.
Political Graveyard:
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.
Civil War service Records:
Waldo P. Johnson, 4th Missouri Infantry, Inducted in as Lieutenant Colonel;
discharged as Lieutenant Colonel. Allegiance: Confederate.
Waldo P. Johnson, Missouri State Guard, Inducted in as Major. Allegiance:
Confederate.
National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System:
--Waldo P. Johnson, Confederate, 4th Regiment Missouri Infantry.
Rank in, Lieutenant Colonel. Rank out, Lieutenant Colonel.
Film M380, Roll 8
--Waldo P. Johnson, Confederate, Missouri State Guard.
Rank in, Major. Film M380, Roll 8
Missouri State Archives, Solider Database:
Office of Adjutant General, Index of Service Records, Confederate, 1861-1865.
Box 105, Reel s733.
Waldo P. Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel, Civil War Confederate, 4th Regiment
Green’s Brigade. Commander Little.
Waldo P. Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel, 4th Regiment, Green’s Brigade (Little’s).
Enlisted Springfield, Mo. Re-union Ex-Confederates, Sedalia, Mo. 1882.
West Virginia Prominent Men:
Page 679 – Captain Burdett married, in July 1845, Abby Ann Johnson, daughter of
Col. William Johnson, of Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia, and a
sister of Ex-United States Senator Waldo P. Johnson, of Missouri.
Virginia Biographical Encyclopedia:
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.
Encyclopedia of American Biography, Herringhsaw’s 19th Century:
Page 535- 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.
Biographies of Notable Americans, 1904:
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.
The United States Biographical Dictionary:
---Our readers will remember the celebrated libel suit of James H. Birch vs
Thomas H. Benton. In that litigation Colonel Routt was Mr. Benton’s lawyer,
assisted by Hon. Waldo P. Johnson. They conducted the case from its beginning,
carrying it through several counties in Missouri, and when the verdict was
rendered against Mr. Benton, appealed it to the supreme court, where the
decision was reversed.
---In 1872 Judge Tilden’s health failed so as to induce him to abandon his
profession for a time, so he retired and went to California to recuperate.
During his absence the people of the 7th congressional district elected him as
the associate of Judge Waldo P. Johnson to represent them in the constitutional
convention which assembled at Jefferson City in May 1866. He served on the
committee on legislation and revenue and at the close of the convention he
returned home and resumed the practice of his profession.
---After the skirmish at Farmington, General Martin E. Green and other officers
proceeded west of the Mississippi with Colonel Waldo P. Johnson to prepare for
the coming of General Price himself into the trans-Mississippi country.
Biographical Directory of the American Congress:
Page 1378 – 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.
West Virginia History, Vol. 3:
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.
Central Missouri Counties History:
---United States Senators – T.H. Benton, 1820-50; D. Barton, 1820-30; Alex
Buckner, 1830-33; L.F. Linn, 1833-43; D.R. Atchison, 1843-55; H.S. Geyer,
1851-57; Jas. M. Green, 1857-61; T. Polk, 1857-63; Waldo P. Johnson, 1861; Robt.
Wilson, 1861; B. Gratz Brown, 1863; for unexpired term of Johnson; J.B.
Henderson, 1863-69; Chas. D. Drake, 1867-70; Carl Schurz, 1869-75; D.F. Jewett,
1870, in place of Drake, resigned; F.P. Blair, 1871-77; L.V. Bogy, 1873; F.M.
Cockrell, 1875-81; re-elected 1881; Geo. C. Vest, 1879.
---March 18, 1861 Waldo P. Johnson, a Breckenridge Democrat, was elected U.S.
Senator for six years, from March 4, 1861.
December 10, 1861, Solomon Tutt, of Vermont, offered a resolution to the U.S.
Senate, expelling Mr. Johnson from that body, for sympathy with and
participation in the rebelling against the government of the United States.
---Benton County. In 1838-39 steps were taken by the court to build a new and
suitable courthouse. In 1840, after some changes in the plan, it was again
contracted and the house completed, sufficient for use, in 1842. The upper story
was leased to the Masons in 1868, and they completed that part and occupied it
until they returned their charter and ceased to have a lodge in Warsaw. The
foundation was defective, and the building was condemned, and by order of court
sold to Waldo P. Johnson for the sum of $275, in December 1881.
---The names of those who have served as judges of the circuit court, with date
of beginning of service are as follows: 1835, Charles H. Allen; 1837, Foster P.
Wright; 1851, Waldo P. Johnson; 1854, DeWitt C. Ballou; 1859, Foster P. Wright;
1862, Burr H. Emerson; 1874, William S. Shirk; 1880, Foster P. Wright; 1882,
James B. Gaunt; 1886, D.A. De Armand.
Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901:
---Bates County – In 1851, Judge Hicks being on the bench, Dr. Samuel
Nottingham, living on Clear Creek, now in Vernon County, was tried for
uxoricide. He was defended by Waldo P. Johnson, and prosecuted by a member of
the bar named Bryant. He was convicted and hung in Papinsville.
---Aylett Hawes Buckner. While serving as judge he was elected by the
Legislature one of the five delegates to represent Missouri in the “Peace
Congress” at Washington in July 1861. His colleagues from Missouri in the
congress were General Alexander W. Doniphan, John D. Coulter, Honorable H.W.
Hough and Waldo P. Johnson.
---Captain Britts, with the command of Colonel Hurst, joined General Price’s
army at Springfield and helped to organize Waldo P. Johnson’s battalion.
---Cedar County was created February 14, 1845, from portions of Dade and St.
Clair Counties, and was named for Cedar Creek, one of its principal water
courses. Among the early attorneys were S.M. Grant and Shadrach Chandler; Waldo
P. Johnson, afterward a circuit judge and a United States Senator, and DeWitt C.
Ballou and Littleberry Hendricks, who both occupied the bench in later years.
John Montgomery, Jr., lawyer, was admitted to the bar in 1868 and at once began
the practice of his profession in partnership with Honorable Waldo P. Johnson.
---Waldo P. Johnson, St. Clair. – Elected March 18, 1861 to the Senate; 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 battle grounds, 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.
Robert Wilson Andrew, appointed in 1862 by acting Governor Hall (in the absence
of Governor Gamble) to fill the vacancy occasioned by the expulsion of Waldo P.
Johnson.
B. Gratz Brown, St. Louis, elected November 1863 to fill unexpired term (March
3, 1867) of Waldo P. Johnson.
---Robert Wilson, lawyer, soldier, State Senator and United States Senator. In
1862 Lieutenant Governor Willard P. Hall, in the absence of Governor Gamble,
appointed him United States Senator in place of Waldo P. Johnson, expelled, and
he served until he was succeeded by B. Bratz Brown in 1863.
---Thomas P. Hoy joined General Martin Green at Corinth, Mississippi, for whom
he performed staff duty until August 1862, when he was ordered to the
Trans-Mississippi department, on duty with Colonel Waldo P. Johnson in northeast
Arkansas and southeastern Missouri, principally on recruiting service,
organizing two regiments that were sent to General Holmes. During the greater
part of his service he bore the rank of colonel.
---Reece Hughes practiced for several years his profession with Honorable Waldo
P. Johnson, in Sedalia, and was eminently successful.
---Peace Convention. The object was to arrest the disruption of the Union
already begun, and avert the Civil War which was impending. The convention was
favored by the “border states”, as the most northern slave States were called,
and by none more zealously than Missouri, whose people were animated by an
earnest desire to prevent the beginning of a strife which, once begun, would
surely make their State, probably, the first field of action. A resolution was
offered in the Senate by Mr. Thomas C. Johnson, of St. Louis, appointing A.W.
Doniphan, of Clay; Waldo P. Johnson, of St. Clair; Aylett H. Buckner, of Pike,
and John D. Coalter, of St. Charles, commissioners to represent Missouri in the
convention. The name of D.R. Atchison was added, and the resolution passed. The
House disagreed to the names, and after some proceedings, Waldo P. Johnson,
Aylett H. Buckner, A.W. Doniphan, John D. Coalter and Harrison Hugh were
appointed.
1850 St. Clair Co., MO Census – District No. 79 Being:
Line 3, 19 August
36/36 Waldo P. Johnson, age 32, male, Lawyer, $5000 real estate, born VA
Emily M. Johnson, age 27, female, born VA
Wm. Tell Johnson, age 1, male, born MO
1860 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Town of Osceola:
Page 7, Line 10, Osceola P.O., 14 June
39/39 Waldo P. Johnson, age 42, male, lawyer, $100,000 real estate, $40,000
personal estate, born VA
E.M. Johnson, age 36, female, born VA
W.T. Johnson, age 11, male, born VA, attended school
T.M. Johnson, age 8, male, born MO, attended school
St. C. Johnson, age 6, male, born MO
Charles Johnson, age 1, male, born MO
1880 St. Clair County, MO Census – Incorporated Village of Osceola:
Dist. 6, ED 232, Page 18, Line 2, 14 June
156/163 Johnson, Emily M., white female, age 58, married, keeping house, born
WV, father born Delaware, mother born WV
T.M., white male, age 28, son, single, lawyer, born MO, parents born WV
St. Clair, white male, age 25, son, single, Stock dealer,
maimed/crippled/disabled, born MO, parents born WV
Carroll, Angetine, black female, age 50, cook, widowed, cook, cannot read or
write, born KY, parents born VA
St. Clair Co., MO Cemetery Records:
Osceola Cemetery
Johnson, Waldo P., died 14 August 1885, age 68 years
Johnson, St. Clair C., 30 September 1854 – 22 May 1900
Johnson, Thomas M., 30 March 1851 – 2 March 1919
