Cone Johnson
Cone Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| State Senator for 6th District of Texas | |
| In office 1888–1892 | |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
| In office 1886–1887 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Cone Johnson June 11, 1860 Dawsonville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1933 (aged 72) Tyler, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Eliza Sophia Robertson Ethel Frances Hilton |
| Education | Peabody Normal College Emory College |
| Occupation | lawyer |
William Cone Johnson (June 11, 1860 – March 17, 1933) was an American lawyer and politician. He sat in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate.
Early life and education
[edit]Johnson was born on June 11, 1860 in Dawsonville, Georgia, to Samuel Caraway Johnson and Emily Swilling.[1] He attended Emery College in Oxford, Georgia and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1880 from Peabody Normal College in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]
Career
[edit]Law
[edit]Johnson settled in Tyler, Texas, after completing school and taught there for two years at Texas Eastern University while studying law with William S. Herndon.[1] He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1883 and went into private practice.[1]
Politics
[edit]In 1886, Johnson was elected to the Texas House of Representatives.[2] He campaigned as a stump speaker in 1887 against prohibition.[1] He later reversed his position on prohibition.[1] Johnson served one term in the house before being elected to the Texas State Senate in 1888, where he served until 1892.[1] In 1891, Johnson helped frame a bill to establish the Texas Railroad Commission.[1]
In 1910, Johnson unsuccessfully ran for governor against Oscar Branch Colquitt in the 1910 Texas gubernatorial election.[1][3]
In 1912, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore.[1]
Johnson was appointed as a solicitor in the United States Department of State by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.[1] He advised Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan and handled citizens' claims for losses during World War I.[1][4] He resigned from this position in 1917.[1]
In 1927, he was appointed as a commissioner of the Texas State Highway Department by Governor Dan Moody.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Johnson was a Methodist and a member of Marvin Methodist Episcopal Church in Tyler, sometimes serving as a lay preacher.[1]
On May 8, 1889, he married Eliza Sophia "Birdie" Robertson.[5] She died in 1926 and he married a second time, on August 2, 1928, to Ethel Frances Hilton.[5]
Johnson died on March 17, 1933 in Tyler.[1]
Referneces
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Johnson, Doug (April 27, 2019). "Cone Johnson: Life and Legacy of a Texas Lawyer and Politician". Texas State Historical Association. Austin, Texas. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "William Cone Johnson". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Austin, Texas. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, Doug (1952). "Johnson, Cone".
- ↑ "Cone Johnson papers, 1891-1930, 1891-1930". Texas Archival Resources Online. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- 1 2 Cooksey, Alice (February 1, 1995). "Eliza Sophia 'Birdie' Johnson: Pioneer of Women's Political Leadership in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Austin, Texas. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
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