USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume I > Part 76
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gress, where he remained for ten years; was elected governor of Tennessee in 1853, reelected in 1855, and at the close of his second term was chosen U. S. senator. He was a bitter opponent of seces- sion and his course in Congress aroused such indignation among the secessionists of Memphis that he was there burned in effigy and threatened with personal violence if he remained in the state. However, he was appointed military governor early in 1862 and remained in that office until he was nominated for vice-president on the Republican ticket in 1864. Upon the death of President Lincoln, Mr. Johnson took the oath of office as president on April 15, 1865. On April 29, 1865, he issued a proclamation removing trade restrictions in most of the seceded states, and on May 9 issued an executive order restoring Virginia to the Union. Then came a difference of opinion between Mr. Johnson and Congress with regard to the policy to be pursued regarding the Southern states. The president took the position that the secession ordi- nances passed by the several states were null and void from the beginning and that the states had never been out of the Union. Congress agreed that the ordinances were unconstitutional, but maintained that the states had been out of the Union and that they could not be restored to it without some kind of legislation. In this crisis the president issued his proclamation of May 29, 1865, granting amnesty to all ex-Confederates, except certain classes, and established provisional governments in the seceded states. (No provisional governor was appointed for Louisiana, the presi- dent recognizing the eivil government that had been established under the constitution of 1864.) In May, 1866, Mr. Johnson tele- graphed to Lieut .- Gov. Voorhies of Louisiana that "all orders and proceedings for the collection of taxes for the purposes of educa- tion have been suspended." On July 28 he sent another telegram to the lieutenant-governor to the effect that the military would be expected to sustain and not obstruct or interfere with the courts. (See Riot of 1866.) In Aug., 1866, accompanied by some of his cabinet and officers of the army and navy, Mr. Johnson visited a number of the Northern states, speaking in the principal cities in defense of his course and denouncing Congress. This tour was referred to by the Northern newspapers as "Swinging around the circle." In his message of Dec. 3, 1866, the president said : "Throughout the recent legislation of Congress the undeniable fact makes itself apparent that these ten political communities are nothing less than states of this Union. At the very commencement of the rebellion each house declared, with a unanimity as remark- able as it was significant, that the war was not 'waged upon our part in any spirit of oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or established institutions of those states, but to defend and maintain the supremacy of the constitution and all laws made in pursuance thereof, and to preserve the Union. with all the dig- nity, equality, and rights of the states unimpaired. and that as soon as these objects are accomplished the war ought to cease.'" Dur-
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ing this session he vetoed acts giving negroes the right of suffrage in the District of Columbia ; the bill admitting Nebraska into the Union, because it contained a provision that no law should ever be passed in that state denying the right of suffrage to any person because of his color or race: and the act of March 2, 1867, pro- viding for "the more efficient government of the rebel states." All these, as well as several others, were passed over the presi- dent's veto and the work of reconstruction went on according to the Congressional policy. An effort was made to impeach the president, but it failed. On Aug. 5, 1867, Mr. Johnson requested Edwin M. Stanton to resign his position as secretary of war. Mr. Stanton refused and was suspended, Gen. Grant being appointed secretary ad interim. When Congress met. the senate refused to confirm the president's action. Grant resigned, and Stanton resumed the duties of the office. Mr. Johnson then removed him and appointed Adjt .- Gen. Lorenzo Thomas. The senate declared this act illegal and impeachment proceedings were instituted. The trial began on March 30. 1868, the senate sitting as a court of impeach- ment, and the test vote was taken on May 16, when 35 senators voted for conviction and 19 for acquittal. A change of one vote from the negative to the affirmative would have made the neces- sary two-thirds for conviction. At the expiration of his term as president Mr. Johnson returned to Tennessee: was a candidate for Congressman at large in 1872, but was defeated; was elected U. S. senator in Jan., 1875, and took his seat at the beginning of the extra session of that year. On July 30, 1875, he was stricken with paralysis and died the following day. Perhaps no man in American public life encountered more obstacles nor passed through more tribulations than Andrew Johnson. Throughout his career he stood firm for his convictions and the unbiased stu- dent of history can hardly fail to reach the conclusion that in many instances where he was overruled by Congress he was in the right.
Johnson, Henry, fourth governor of Louisiana after its admission into the Union as a state, was born in Virginia, Sept. 14, 1783. After his admission to the bar in his native state he removed to Louisiana and in 1809 was appointed clerk of the 2nd superior court of the Territory of Orleans. When the parish of St. Mary was established in 1811 he was appointed judge of the new parish. He was a member of the constitutional convention of 1812, and the same year was a candidate for Congress on the Whig ticket, but was defeated. In 1818 he was elected to the U. S. senate on the death of W. C. C. Claiborne and served until 1824, when he was elected governor of the state. In 1829 he was defeated in his race for U. S. Senator. but in 1834 was elected a representative in the 24th Congress and at the close of his term was reelected. When Alexander Porter died in 1844 Mr. Johnson was elected to the U. S. senate to fill the vacancy and served in that body until 1849. In the meantime he was a candidate for governor in 1842, but was defeated by Alexander Mouton. While a member of the senate he presented to Congress the resolutions of the Louis-
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iana legislature favoring the annexation of Texas, and the memo- rial of the sugar planters of St. Mary's parish praying for the repeal of the tariff of 1846. In 1850, when Charles M. Conrad was appointed secretary of war and resigned his seat in the national house of representatives, Mr. Johnson contested the seat with Judge Henry A. Bullard, who was seated. Gov. Johnson then retired from public life and died at Pointe Coupée on Sept. +, 1864. His wife was a Miss Key, of Maryland.
Johnson's Administration .- Gov. Henry Jolinson was inaugu- rated on Dec. 13. 1824, and found the finances of the state in a wholesome condition. When Gov. Villere retired from the office Louisiana was entirely free from debt, but circumstances had com- pelled Gov. Robertson to turn over to his successor a debt of some $40,000, for the payment of which ample provision had been made. In his inaugural address Gov. Johnson recommended to the people the cultivation of "a. spirit of concord and reciprocal good-will." though he expressed some doubts as to the maintenance of such a feeling, considering the discordant elements which composed the heterogeneous population. "All invidious attempts." said he. "to foment discord, by exciting jealousies and party spirit, with refer- ence to the accidental circumstances of language or birth-place, will be strongly reprobated by every man who loves his country and respects himself. We are all united by one common bond. We neither have, nor can have, any separate or distinct interests; we are all protected by the same laws, and no measure of policy can be adopted injurious to one portion of the community, without affecting every other in the same ratio."
These remarks were doubtless prompted by the acrimonious dis- . cussions during the campaign which resulted in his election, and were indicative of the course he intended to pursue. During the session of the legislature which witnessed the inauguration of Gov. Johnson, the Louisiana state bank was established; the capital of the state was ordered to be removed to Donaldsonville in 1829 and an appropriation of $30,000 was made for the purpose of buy- ing ground there and erecting a capitol building: the city court of New Orleans was created; and the state was divided into five districts for presidential electors.
The year 1825 is memorable in the history of Louisiana for the visit of two notable men-Gen. William Carroll on Jan. 22, and the Marquis de Lafayette on April 10. Between the sessions of the general assembly the governor traveled over the state on a tour of inspection, and when the legislature met on Jan. 2, 1826, he said in his message: "I have been highly gratified in witness- ing in every parish the utmost harmony and good-will. Those symptoms of discord which, to the mortification of every friend to his country, manifest themselves on some occasions in this our favored city of New Orleans, are nowhere perceptible in the cir- cumjacent country ; and even in the city they are circumscribed and confined chiefly to the columns of gazettes, and perhaps to a few persons of intemperate feelings, or whose views do not extend
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beyond the mere surface of things. * * * Let us unite in pur- suing a course, and in setting an example, that may tend to unite the hearts of all our fellow-citizens."
On the question of land claims and the public domain he said : "The large claims, embracing several millions of acres, to which the attention of the legislature has been called on several occa- sions, still remain unadjusted. Upward of twenty years have elapsed since we became a part of the American Confederacy and looked to the Congress of the United States for the redress of our grievances in this respect. Nothing effectual, however, has been done. All attempts which have been made in Congress to refer our claims to the United States district court, subject to an appeal to the supreme court of the United States, and which was perhaps the most expedient method of settlement that could be devised, have entirely failed of success. If these claims are good, they should be confirmed ; if invalid, they should be expressly rejected. It is not only the parties interested who suffer by keeping them in suspense; the great and increasing injury inflicted on the state calls loudly for redress." To remedy this situation he recom- mended a memorial to Congress "couched in strong but respectful terms." Such a memorial was forwarded to Congress, but it proved ineffective. The legislature at this session authorized the gov- ernor to borrow $30,000 for the purpose of building the capitol at Donaldsonville; refused to concur in the Ohio resolutions of 1824, proposing a plan for the gradual emancipation of slaves; requested Congress to have the boundary between Louisiana and Arkansas established; and created a board of internal improvement, to con- sist of five commissioners to be appointed by the governor annu- ally. In the elections of 1826 Brent, Gurley and Livingston were again chosen to represent the state in the lower house of Congress.
The first session of the 8th legislature commenced in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 1827, with Armand Beauvais as president of the senate and Octave La Branche as speaker of the house. The greater part of the governor's message was devoted to the subject of internal improvements, such as the proposed canals from the Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain, the Attakapas and Barataria bay. He feelingly referred to the death of ex-Presidents Adams and Jefferson, both of whom died on July 4, 1826, and suggested relief for the family of Jefferson, closing this part of his message with the words: "Next to Virginia, his native land, no state in the Union owes such a debt of gratitude to the departed sage as Louisiana." Accordingly, on March 16, the following premable and act was approved by the governor :
"Whereas, after a life devoted to the services of his country and that of the whole human race, Thomas Jefferson dicd, leaving to his children no inheritance save the example of his virtues and the gratitude of the people whose independence he had proclaimed to the world in language worthy of a great nation; and, whereas, . the legislature of Louisiana, acquired to the Union by his wisdom and foresight, in grateful remembrance of the illustrious citizen,
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to whom they are indebted for the blessings of political and civil liberty, wish to perpetuate to the latest posterity the memory of their deep sense of the unrivalled talents and virtues of their bene- factor; Therefore, Be it enacted, that the sum of $10,000 in stock shall be forwarded by the governor to Thomas Jefferson Randolph in trust for his mother, Martha Randolph, and her heirs; and be it further enacted, that for the payment of said stock the governor shall execute in the name of the state one or more bonds transfer- able by delivery, bearing an interest not exceeding six per cent per annum, payable yearly and redeemable in ten years, or sooner if so determined by the legislature." A subsequent act defined the stock.
At this session the punishment of white persons by the pillory was abolished, and the "Consolidated Association of the planters of Louisiana" was incorporated with a capital of $2,000,000. which was subsequently increased to $2,500,000, secured by mortgages on real estate and slaves. Through this medium the planters obtained money easily, and those with extravagant notions spent it as easily. While some profited by the association, it proved the ruin of many.
The legislature extended an invitation to Gen. Andrew Jackson to visit New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1828, the 13th anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. He accepted the invitation, and was welcomed by Gov. Johnson as the "Guest of Louisiana."
The principal candidates for governor in 1828 were Pierre Der- bigny and Thomas Butler. The first session of the 9th legislature opened on Nov. 17, 1828, and when the votes were canvassed the next day it was found that Derbigny was elected by a substantial majority. A. B. Roman was elected speaker of the house to suc- ceed Octave La Branche. In his message Gov. Johnson reported that of the 25,000,000 acres of vacant lands at the time of the ces- sion to the United States in 1803, only 182.000 acres had been sold up to that time. For representatives in Congress Walter H. Over- ton, Henry H. Gurley and Edward D. White were elected in 1828, and Edward Livingston was elected U. S. senator at this session of the general assembly to succeed Dominique Bouligny, who had been elected to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Gov. Johnson in 1824.
Johnson, Isaac, tenth governor of the State of Louisiana, was a native of the parish of West Feliciana and the son of an English officer who settled in Louisiana while it was a Spanish province. He studied law and became a successful attorney. His political career began as a member of the lower house of the state legisla- ture, after which he was elected judge of the 3d district. In 1845 he was nominated by the Democratic party for governor and was elected over William De Buys, the Whig candidate, by a majority of 1,279. He was inaugurated just at the beginning of the War with Mexico, and during that contest ably upheld the cause of the United States. During his administration (q.v.) several impor-
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tant improvements were made. Goy. Johnson died in New Orleans on March 15, 1853.
. Johnson's Administration .- Isaac Johnson was inaugurated gov- ernor on Feb. 12, 1846. In his address on that occasion he took a decided stand in favor of state rights, congratulated the people on the annexation of Texas, and urged the extension of the free school system to all parts of the state. The new constitution, which was adopted in 1845, made a vast amount of work for the general assembly in shaping legislation to carry into effect its various provisions. Much of this work was assigned to commit- tees, and on June 1, 1846, the legislature adjourned to meet again on Jan. 11, 1847. When it convened at that time Gov. Johnson submitted a message dealing at length with the Mexican war and the part Louisiana had taken in the conflict. (See War with Mexico.) He announced the death of U. S. Senator Alexander Barrow, and Pierre Soulé was elected to complete the term. At this session, pursuant to the stipulations of the constitution, steps were taken to provide a fund for the maintenance of free public schools; the University of Louisiana was established at New Orleans; and an appropriation of $10,000 was made for the estab- lishment of an insane asylum at Jackson. The penitentiary was leased out for five years, and a complete census of the state was authorized.
Under the constitution the sessions of the legislature were to be held biennially and were limited to 60 days. In his message of Jan. 17, 1848, Gov. Johnson expressed himself in favor of annual limited sessions, but if the sessions were to be held biennially they should be unlimited as to the time. He announced that the Uni- versity of Louisiana had commenced operations. "If the univer- sity is sustained." said he. "then, and perhaps not till then, the common-school system will have become deeply and firmly fixed in the habits and affections of the people, who with fair opportu- nity will fully comprehend the truth that even the learning of one man makes a thousand learned." At this time it was clearly seen that the war with Mexico would result in the acquisition of terri- tory by the United States, and David Wilmot, a member of Con- gress from Pennsylvania, had introduced in that body a measure calculated to prevent the extension of slavery into the territory so acquired. This was known as the "Wilmot Proviso," and in his message the governor decried it as an attack upon the institut- tion of slavery-a question over which Congress was not invested with the least authority whatever. "The issue has been forced," said he, "and it should be met respectfully and temperately; but at the same time with a firm and uncompromising resistance. Let us, at least, take care that they who have sowed the speck of storm shall not force us to reap the wihrlwind."
After enacting a number of important laws, among which was one redistricting the state for members of the general assembly, the legislature adjourned on March 16, to meet in Baton Rouge in 1850, but as it had not complied with the requirements of the
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constitution in the matter of making adequate provisions for the organization and support of the public schools, an extraordinary session was convened on Dec. 4, 1848, to correct the failure, which was done by the appropriation of $550,000 for the use of the schools.
In Jan., 1848, the leaders of the Whig party called a mass-meeting at New Orleans to endorse Gen. Zachary Taylor for the presidency. In the campaign which followed the Taylor and Fillmore ticket carried the state, receiving 18,117 votes, to 15,370 for Cass and Butler. A spirited contest occurred in the gubernatorial campaign of 1849. The Democrats nominated Gen. Joseph Walker for gov- ernor and Gen. Jean B. Plauche for lieutenant-governor. The Whig candidates were Col. Alexander Declouet and D. F. Kenner. The election resulted in a Democratic victory, Walker and Plauche being elected by a majority of over 1,000 votes. The members of the legislature chosen at this election assembled at Baton Rouge on Jan. 21, 1850,-the first time in the history of the state that a legislative session was held in that city. Preston W. Farrar, who had served as speaker in the preceding legislature, was again elected to that office. In his message Gov. Jolinson said that there were 22,000 children in attendance in the public schools and recom- mended increased appropriations for educational purposes. On the subject of slavery he observed very emphatically: "It is with feel- ings of lively satisfaction I see the South poising herself in a lofty and patriotic attitude in defense of her rights. The repeated, gall- ing and unprovoked aggressions of the anti-slavery element leave no room to anticipate a cessation of hostilities, and the South, I think, has been sufficiently warned that if it is wise to hope for the best it is equally prudent to prepare for the worst." The Wilmot Proviso was again denounced in unmeasured terms, and the governor recommended sending delegates to the Southern Rights convention to be held at Nashville, Tenn., in June. Gov. Johnson retired from the office on Jan. 28, 1850.
Johnsons Bayou, a post-hamlet of Cameron parish, is situated on the gulf coast, in the southwestern part of the parish, about 10 miles east of Sabine, Tex., the nearest railroad station. and 25 miles west of Cameron, the parish seat. In 1900 it had a popula- tion of 40.
Johnston, Josiah Stoddard, U. S. senator from Louisiana, was born at Salisbury, Conn .. Nov. 24, 1784. He graduated at the Transylvania university in 1805: studied law and was admitted to the bar: began practice at Alexandria, La .: was a member of the state house of representatives: served as district judge; and was elected a representative from Louisiana to the 17th Congress as a Clay Democrat. He was appointed U. S. senator from Louis- iana in place of James Brown, resigned: was twice reelected. serv- ing from March 12, 1824, to May 19, 1833, when he died at Red River, La.
Johnston, William Preston, educator, president of Tulane Uni- versity of Louisiana, was born at Louisville, Ky., Jan. 5, 1831.
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His father was Albert Sidney Johnston, the Confederate general, and his mother was a daughter of Maj. William Preston. His mother died when he was four years old. and as his father was going to serve in Texas, he was sent to live with relatives in Louisville. He received his education in the public schools of that city; Womack's academy, Shelbyville, Ky .; Centre college, Dan- ville, Ky .; the Western military institute, Georgetown, Ky., and at Yale college. At Yale he excelled in literature, winning a Townsend prize for English composition, and the Clark prize for his graduation essay. After graduating at Yale he studied law at the University of'Louisville and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He sympathized with the South and took part in most of the stir- ring political actions of the time. When war broke out he spent the summer of 1861 recruiting and equipping several companies for the Confederate army, and was commissioned major of the 2nd Ky. regiment, but was soon transferred to the 1st regiment, with which he served in northern Virginia. When the regiment was disbanded, he was appointed aide-de-camp to President Davis, and held this position throughout the war. He took part in the battles of Seven Pines, Cold Harbor, Sheridan's raid, Petersburg and other engagements, and served as inspector-general and confi- dential staff officer to carry despatches between Davis and his generals. Near the end of the war he was captured with President Davis in Georgia, and kept in solitary confinement for three months at Fort Delaware. When released he went to Canada and lived as an exile for a year. On his return to Louisville he practiced law until 1867, when he was appointed professor of history and Eng- lish literature at Washington college, by Gen. Lee, and from that time devoted himself to education and literature. In 1877 he became famous as the author of the "Life of Albert Sidney Johns- ton, Embracing his services in the Armies of the United States." Col. Johnston left Lexington in 1880 to become president of the Louisiana state university at Baton Rouge, which he reorganized. In 1883 was authorized by the administrators of the Tulane educa- tional fund to take charge of it, and the following year the Uni- versity of Louisiana was merged into Tulane university, with Col. Johnston as president. He published a number of books, wrote for a number of periodicals, and many of his addresses have been printed. Washington and Lee university conferred the degree of LL. D. upon him in. 1877. He was one of the regents of the Smith- sonian Institution. He died on July 16, 1899, at Lexington, Va.
Joliet, Louis, French explorer, was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1645. He was educated for the priesthood at the Jesuits' college, but went west and engaged in the fur trade. In Nov., 1672, Fron- tenac, then governor of Canada. wrote: "The Chevalier de Grand Fontaine had deemed it expedient for the service to send the Sieur Joliet to discover the south sea by the Maskoutens country and the great river Mississippi, which is believed to empty into the California sea. He is a man of experience in this kind of dis- covery and has already been near the great river, of which he prom-
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