John Mercer Johnson

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

John Mercer Johnson
Northumberland
In office
1867–1868
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byRichard Hutchison
Personal details
Born(1818-10-01)October 1, 1818
Liverpool, England
DiedNovember 8, 1868(1868-11-08) (aged 50)
Chatham, New Brunswick
Political partyLiberal
OccupationLawyer

John Mercer Johnson (October 1818 – November 8, 1868) was a Canadian lawyer and politician from the

Northumberland, serving in the role from 1867 to 1868 as a Liberal
member. Plaques have been erected in his honour in Chatham, his hometown, and a mountain in Northumberland county was named for him.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in Liverpool, England, in October 1818. His father was also named John Mercer Johnson, and he was a merchant and public official in Chatham, New Brunswick; his mother was named Ellen.[1][2] The younger Johnson emigrated to Chatham, New Brunswick, in 1821. He studied at Northumberland County Grammar School, then in the law office of John Ambrose Street. In 1837, he became the secretary of the Young Men's Debating Society in Chatham. He became an attorney on October 13, 1838, and a barrister in October 1840.[1]

Legal career

In 1840, Johnson opened a law office in Chatham and joined a professional partnership with C. A. Harding, but the partnership ended two years later.

Mechanics' institute and lectured on phrenology, a belief that bumps on the skull can predict mental traits. In October 1847, he joined a legal partnership with Peter Mitchell, which ended in 1852 when Mitchell wanted to pursue a business in lumbering and shipbuilding.[1][3] In 1851, he donated land for the construction of a temperance hall.[1]

New Brunswick politics

On July 22, 1850, Johnson was elected to the New Brunswick assembly as one of the representatives from

postmaster general.[4] Johnson was uninterested in running the department, leaving administrative tasks to the clerks. This led to a chaotic ministry and his opponents accused him of collecting a salary without doing the work his office required. He resigned from this position in November 1858 and remained on the colony's executive council as a minister without portfolio.[1]

On February 11, 1859, Johnson was elected as the speaker of the New Brunswick assembly and resigned from the council.[1] In 1860 he was appointed as a judge for the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and became captain of the revived 1st Battalion, which became known as the Chatham Rifles.[2][5] In 1862 he became a trustee of the County Grammar School.[2] He was re-elected as the assembly's speaker on February 12, 1862, but resigned later that year when he was appointed to be the attorney general under the premiership of Tilley. He won a subsequent election for his seat, caused by accepting a position as a minister.[4] He remained the attorney general until 1865.[1]

Canadian confederation

A black and white photograph of several men, standing and seated outside of a row of buildings
The attendees of the Charlottetown Conference. Johnson is standing fifth from the right in the back row, partially blocked by John Hamilton Gray and Samuel Leonard Tilley

Johnson represented New Brunswick at the Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec Conference in 1864 to discuss the merger of the eastern British colonies of North America into a confederation of Canada.[1] His participation in these conferences gives him the status of a Father of Confederation in Canada.[7] In the Charlottetown Conference, he favoured a legislative union of the colonies and suggested that provinces might be dissolved or merged. He suggested that Prince Edward Island merge with New Brunswick, which irritated the other delegates at the conference and was rejected.[8][9]

He changed his mind before the Quebec Conference and thought the legislative union would be impractical. In the Quebec conference, he supported a strong, centralised federal government that would have control of the court system.[1] His argument followed social contract ideas, where the provinces should forfeit some of their national rights as individual provinces to create a better society.[10] Other delegates disagreed with him and wanted more provincial control of the courts. This led to a compromise where the federal government enacts criminal laws and appoints county judges, while the provinces enact civil laws and administer the courts.[11]

He was defeated in the re-election for his seat on March 18, 1865,[4] by an anti-confederation candidate.[1] He won the subsequent election for his Northumberland seat on May 25, 1866.[4] He continued advocating for the Canadian confederation, and encouraged the British colonies to remove their provincial identities and unite under a single Canadian federal government.[12] He stated his belief that the American Civil War was caused by a weak central government. He also believed that if Canada adopted an American model of government they would either eventually merge with America or become a republic.[13] His goal was to maintain Canada's connection to Britain, declaring that British institutions were more democratic than American ones.[14] He also opposed the establishment of a judicial system that could override the other branches of government; if the rights of local governments were interfered with by federal law, the government could appeal to the British parliament.[15] His belief was that parliament reflected citizens' political opinions, instead of each parliamentarian just representing their constituencies,[16] and that referendums were not required to change the constitution of Canada or to enact new policies.[17]

He attended the London Conference of 1866, making him one of eleven Fathers of Confederation to have attended all three conferences that led to the establishment of the Constitution Act, 1867.[18] While in London he entertained the other members and the public with poetry presentations and ice-skating performances.[5] He resigned from the New Brunswick assembly in June 1867 to run for the Canadian legislature.[1]

Canadian politics

On September 4, 1867, Johnson was elected as the first representative for

Northumberland in the Canadian House of Commons as part of the Liberal Party of Canada.[19] He defeated Thomas F. Gillespie in the election.[2] Johnson and Peter Mitchell were given the moniker "the Northumberland County Smashers" for their work in representing Miramichi, one of the cities in Johnson's Northumberland constituency.[20]

Personal life and death

On October 9, 1845, he married Henrietta Shirreff; they had twelve children,[1] of which six children survived into adulthood. Their children included Ada E. Johnson, a teacher and organist, Andrew H., a lawyer, and Edward, who ran a stationery business in Chatham.[2]

Johnson's health deteriorated for more than a year before he became seriously ill in September 1868, and died in his home in Chatham on November 8, 1868.[4][1] The cause of death was a buildup of fluid in the stomach, blamed on "social excess".[1] This might refer to Johnson's alleged excessive drinking and gambling habits.[8] He was buried at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Chatham.[21]

In memoriam

A plaque was placed in 1927 for Johnson's honour at St. Paul's Church in Chatham by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.[2] In the 1940s, a bronze plaque was installed on the post office in Chatham dedicated to Johnson.[22] A street is named after him in the Chatham neighbourhood.[5] In 1964, the provincial names authority named Mount Johnson, a mountain south of Nepisiguit River in New Brunswick, after Johnson,[23] and the Order in Council for the mountain's name took effect on September 1, 1964, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the New Brunswick delegates arrival to the Charlottetown Conference.[24]

Electoral record

1867 Canadian federal election: Northumberland (New Brunswick)
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal John Mercer Johnson 1,226 61.83
Unknown Thomas F. Gillespie 757 38.17
Total valid votes 1,983 100.00
Source: Canadian Elections Database[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Fraser, James A.; Wallace, C.M. (1976). "Johnson, John Mercer". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-920332-07-8
    .
  3. ^ Gowan, Derwin (21 February 2004). "Evidence of a life; A reporter tracks mementoes from the life of Peter Mitchell, Father of Confederation". Telegraph-Journal.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i New Brunswick. Legislative Assembly. Office of the Clerk (1985). Speakers of the Legislative Assembly – Province of New Brunswick, 1786–1985.
  5. ^ a b c d Copp, John (23 June 2008). "Johnson also led way to Confederation". Miramichi Leader – via ProQuest.
  6. ISBN 978-1-55138-185-5
    .
  7. ^ Waite, P.B.; Fong, Leanna; Coschi, Nathan. "Fathers of Confederation". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b Bardburn, Jamie (25 May 2015). "John Mercer Johnson". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. ISBN 978-1-55199-483-3
    .
  10. JSTOR 40865314
    – via JSTOR.
  11. ^ "J.M. Johnson". The Ottawa Journal. 28 April 1967. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  12. ISBN 978-0-8020-8607-5
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-8020-8607-5
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-7735-7593-6
    .
  15. ISBN 978-0-8020-8607-5
    .
  16. ISSN 2369-6591
    .
  17. ISBN 978-0-7735-7593-6
    .
  18. ISSN 0829-7983
    – via Erudit.
  19. ^ Parliament of Canada. "John Mercer Johnson, M.P." lop.parl.ca. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  20. ISBN 978-1-4426-8720-2
    .
  21. ^ "Historic St. Paul's being renovated/retrofitted". Miramichi Leader. 14 October 2009.
  22. ISSN 0317-0594 – via Erudit.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  23. ISBN 978-0-19-543153-7
    .
  24. ^ "Hills Named for Fathers of Confederation". The Windsor Star. 1 September 1964. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  25. ^ Sayers, Anthony M. "1867 Federal Election". Canadian Elections Database. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Mercer_Johnson&oldid=1197953121"