A.R. Johnson (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
Andrew R. Johnson, known as A.R. Johnson (September 8, 1856–June 16, 1933), was a Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
, who represented District 24 (Claiborne
and Bienville
parishes) from 1916 to 1924.
in Tallapoosa County
in east central Alabama
. His father fought for the Confederate State of America in the American Civil War
. Before the outbreak of hostilities in 1861, Johnson had already moved his family to a plantation
in Scott County
near Forest
in central Mississippi
. There, Andrew was educated in public schools and at Harperville Academy in the community of Harperville (not to be confused with Harpersville
, Alabama). When not in school, he assisted his father on the farm. Young Andrew often walked five miles to school.
While in his early twenties, Johnson moved to Columbia County
near Magnolia
in southern Arkansas
. He was a schoolteacher in Arkansas, clerked in a store, and served as the mayor of an unnamed town. He was also employed as depot agent by the Cotton Belt Railroad and edited a newspaper. He held some of these positions simultaneously. He also went into business for himself as a merchant. On April 18, 1883, he married the former Julia C. Pittman. The couple had eleven children, eight of whom were still living in 1925.
and Oklahoma
for three years by the U.S. government as special agent of the United States Land Office. He left government service and in 1897 moved with his family to Homer
, the seat of Claiborne Parish in north Louisiana
. A year later, he moved to northern Natchitoches Parish
, where he sold lots in the new village of Ashland
, formed in 1901. Johnson named Ashland for his former residence in Ashland
, Wisconsin, where he had worked for the Land Office. A resident of the Ashland area for eight years from 1898 to 1906, he was engaged in the timber and real estate
businesses. He returned to Homer in 1906, where he became president of the Homer State Bank, served on the Claiborne Parish School Board, and was twice elected mayor, probably in 1910 and 1914. During his tenure as mayor, Homer acquired electric light
s and water works. At the time Homer already had a municipal home-rule charter.
While Johnson was in Ashland, the since disbanded Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad, which linked Hope
, Arkansas, with Alexandria
, Louisiana, came through the area. Johnson donated the land on which the since defunct Ashland High School
was constructed in 1907. The structure burned in 1918 and was rebuilt by 1919.
for governor in 1924 but declined. That year, the legendary Huey Pierce, Long, Jr.
, of nearby Winn Parish
, first ran for governor but fell short of victory, losing to Henry L. Fuqua
, the first Louisiana governor to die in office, In 1928, Long rebounded to win his single term as governor.
Johnson was a Baptist
, a Mason
and a Shriner. At the time of the publication of Henry E. Chambers' A History of Louisiana, Vol. II, in 1925, he was sixty-eight years of age.
A.R. Johnson is interred at Springville Cemetery in Coushatta
in Red River Parish
.
Johnson's grandson, Andrew Pittman Johnson (1913–1993), lived in Homer. A Johnson great-grandson, Tony Johnson, is a real estate
agent in Homer.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, who represented District 24 (Claiborne
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
and Bienville
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
parishes) from 1916 to 1924.
Early years: Alabama, Mississippi & Arkansas
Johnson was born to William D. Johnson and the former Sarah J. Slaughter in DadevilleDadeville, Alabama
Dadeville is a city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,212. The city is the county seat of Tallapoosa County.Dadeville is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Tallapoosa County
Tallapoosa County, Alabama
Tallapoosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. The name Tallapoosa is of Creek origin, and many Indian villages were along the banks of the lower river before the 19th century. As of 2010, the population was 41,616...
in east central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. His father fought for the Confederate State of America in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Before the outbreak of hostilities in 1861, Johnson had already moved his family to a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Scott County
Scott County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,423 people, 10,183 households, and 7,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 11,116 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
near Forest
Forest, Mississippi
Forest is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,987 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scott County.-Geography:Forest is located at ....
in central Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. There, Andrew was educated in public schools and at Harperville Academy in the community of Harperville (not to be confused with Harpersville
Harpersville, Alabama
Harpersville is a town in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,620. The small town is growing due to the growth of big business on Highway 280...
, Alabama). When not in school, he assisted his father on the farm. Young Andrew often walked five miles to school.
While in his early twenties, Johnson moved to Columbia County
Columbia County, Arkansas
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 24,552. The county seat is Magnolia. Columbia County was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus...
near Magnolia
Magnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
in southern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He was a schoolteacher in Arkansas, clerked in a store, and served as the mayor of an unnamed town. He was also employed as depot agent by the Cotton Belt Railroad and edited a newspaper. He held some of these positions simultaneously. He also went into business for himself as a merchant. On April 18, 1883, he married the former Julia C. Pittman. The couple had eleven children, eight of whom were still living in 1925.
From Wisconsin to Louisiana
In the middle 1890s, Johnson was employed in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
for three years by the U.S. government as special agent of the United States Land Office. He left government service and in 1897 moved with his family to Homer
Homer, Louisiana
Homer is present day parish seat of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named after the Greek poet Homer and was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present day brick courthouse, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is one of only...
, the seat of Claiborne Parish in north Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. A year later, he moved to northern Natchitoches Parish
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Natchitoches Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Natchitoches. As of 2000, the population was 39,080. This is the heart of the Cane River Louisiana Creole community...
, where he sold lots in the new village of Ashland
Ashland, Louisiana
Ashland is a village located in the northernmost portion of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. It was incorporated in 1963. A few residences and a convenience store to the north spill over into neighboring Bienville Parish. The population was 291 at the 2000 census...
, formed in 1901. Johnson named Ashland for his former residence in Ashland
Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,695 at the 2010 census....
, Wisconsin, where he had worked for the Land Office. A resident of the Ashland area for eight years from 1898 to 1906, he was engaged in the timber and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
businesses. He returned to Homer in 1906, where he became president of the Homer State Bank, served on the Claiborne Parish School Board, and was twice elected mayor, probably in 1910 and 1914. During his tenure as mayor, Homer acquired electric light
Electric light
Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...
s and water works. At the time Homer already had a municipal home-rule charter.
While Johnson was in Ashland, the since disbanded Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad, which linked Hope
Hope, Arkansas
Hope is a small city in Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2008 United States Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,378...
, Arkansas, with Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, Louisiana, came through the area. Johnson donated the land on which the since defunct Ashland High School
Ashland High School (Ashland, Louisiana)
Ashland High School was a rural public kindergarten-grade 12 primary and secondary educational institution located in the village of Ashland in northern Natchitoches Parish from 1907 until its closing in 1981.-Background:...
was constructed in 1907. The structure burned in 1918 and was rebuilt by 1919.
State career
In 1913, Johnson was a Claiborne Parish delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention. (There were subsequent conventions in 1921 and 1973). He was elected without opposition for both Senate terms and served on the Senate Finance Committee. As his second term wound down, Johnson considered entering the Democratic primary electionPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for governor in 1924 but declined. That year, the legendary Huey Pierce, Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, of nearby Winn Parish
Winn Parish, Louisiana
Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, first ran for governor but fell short of victory, losing to Henry L. Fuqua
Henry L. Fuqua
Henry Luse Fuqua was a Baton Rouge businessman Fuqua defeated both Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and Lieutenant Governor Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1924 to succeed the term-limited John M. Parker...
, the first Louisiana governor to die in office, In 1928, Long rebounded to win his single term as governor.
Johnson was a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, a Mason
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
and a Shriner. At the time of the publication of Henry E. Chambers' A History of Louisiana, Vol. II, in 1925, he was sixty-eight years of age.
A.R. Johnson is interred at Springville Cemetery in Coushatta
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in and the parish seat of rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately forty-five miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71...
in Red River Parish
Red River Parish, Louisiana
Red River Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. It was one of the newer parishes created in 1871 by the state legislature under Reconstruction...
.
Johnson's grandson, Andrew Pittman Johnson (1913–1993), lived in Homer. A Johnson great-grandson, Tony Johnson, is a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent in Homer.