JOHNSON. 263 don. He wrote: Use of Anthracite in the Manu- facture of Coal (1S41) ; llcport on Coals (1844) ; Coal Trade of Britisli Aiiicrica (1850) ; and sev- eral scientific texi-books. JOHNSON, William (1771-1834). An Ameri- can jurist, born at Charleston, S. C. He gradu- ated at Princeton in 1790; studied law under C. C. Pinckney; was admitted to the bar and elected to the State Legislature in 1793: and in 1798 received the appointment to the Court of Common Pleas. In 1804 he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court, where his course was marked by great independence. He quarreled with Jefl'erson over the Embargo, and his op- position to nullification was so strong that in 1833 he had to leave his own State. He spent a few months in western Pennsylvania, and in 1834 removed to Brooklyn, N. Y.' He wrote Life and Correspondence of Major-General Nathanael Greene (1822). JOHNSON, Sir William (1715-74). A Brit- ish soldier and superintendent of Indian afi'airs in America, born in ' County Meath, Ireland. He was educated for mercantile pursuits, but in 1738 assumed the management of the landed estates of his uncle. Sir Peter Warren, in the Col- ony of Xew York. In that year he settled on a tract of land in' the ilohawk Valley, about 25 miles from the present town of Schenectady, and at once imdertook the improvement and coloniza- tion of his uncle's lands. His relations with the Indians, with whom he was soon engaged in trade, were characterized by honesty and fair dealing. He soon acquired a knowledge of their language, familiarized himself with their customs, and cul- tivated their friendship. In 1744 the Ciovernor of Xew York appointed him colonel of the Six Na- tions; and two years later upon the resignation of Colonel Schuyler, he became Commissary of Xew York for Indian Affairs. He was later charged by the Government with the defense of the New York frontier, and on one occasion by his tact and personal influence was able to effect the settle- ment of a difficulty between the Indians and the colonists. In the meantime he had received a royal commission as a member of the Governor's council, and m 1754 was one of the commissioners to the Albany Convention (q.v. ) called to treat with the Indians, and at the .same time to prepare a plan of union for the Colonies. Upon the out- break of tl>e French and Indian War (q.v.) he was given sole charge of Indian affairs in New York, was commissioned a major-general of colo- nial forces, and was charged with the conduct of the expedition against Crown Point. In this capacity he performed valuable service to the colonial cause by defeating and capturing Baron Dieskau at Lake George. It was largely through his influence that the Six Nations were kept from joining the French in this struggle. For this service he received the thanks of Parliament, ac- companied by a grant of £5000. and at the same time was created a- baronet, and in the following year was made superintendent of all affairs of tlie Six Xations and other X'^orthern Indians. He subsequently took part in the futile attempts to relieve Oswego and Fort William Henry, and was present at the baffles of Ticonderoga and Fort Niagara. In the latter engagement, after the death of General Prideaux, he assumed the chief command, out to pieces the French army, and compelled the surrender of the fort. Later he led the Indians in an expedition to Canada, JOHNSON. and was present at the surrender of Jilontreal. Tlirough his influence the Six X'ations, as a Mhole, were preented from joining the Pontiac conspiracy, although he was unable to secure the absolute neutrality of the Senecas. In addition to the reward which he had already received, the King granted him a tract of nearly 100,000 acres of land in the Mohawk Valley, where he built ■.Johnson Hall.' which is still standing, and which became the nucleus of .Johnstown, X. Y. Here Sir William lived for the remainder of his life in baronial fashion. His last public service was the conclusion of the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768. (See Fort Sta>-wix.)" He died July 11, 1774, in his fifty-ninth year. In 1739 -Johnson mar- ried the daughter of a neighboring German set- tler, and by her had three children. After her death he had several mistresses, both Indian and white, one of whom was 'ilolly' Brant, a sister of the Jlohawk chief, Jcseph "Brant or Thaven- danegea. By her he had eight children. Sir Wil- liam prepared a paper of some value on The Lan- fjuafie. Customs, and ilanners of the fiix Salions, published in the Transactions of the Philosijphical Socicti/ of Philadelphia for Xovember, 1772. Consult Stone, Life of Sir William Johnson (2 vols., Albany. 1865). JOHNSON, William Sashjel (1727-1819). An American jurist and educator, born at Strat- ford, Conn. He was the son of Rev. Samuel Johnson (q.v.), who became the first president of King's College (now Columbia). He was gradu- ated at Yale in 1744. and in 1747 received the degi-ee of A.il. from Harvard. After graduation he planned to enter the Church, and worked for a time for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, but changed his plans, studied law, and practiced in the courts of Connecticut and X'ew York. In 17G1 and 1765 he was a member of the Lo«er House of the Connecticut Legislature, and then was made a member of the Upper House or Governor's Council. In 1765 he was a dele- gate from Connecticut to the meeting at New York known as the Stamp Act Congress. From 1766 to 1771 he was in London as counsel for the Colony in litigation concerning the title to land secured from the Mohegan Indians. On his re- turn he was again a member of the Governor's Council, and in 1772 was made judge of the Su- perior Court. After the battle of Lexington he was one of a committee sent to General Gage to consider the possibility of peace. He was op- posed to the war, and during its progress re- mained quietly at home practicing his profession, though he contributed money to the American cause. From 1784 to 1787 he was a member of the Continental Congress, and in 1787 was at the head of the Connecticut delegation to the con- vention to form the Federal Constitution. He was again made a member of the Governor's Council, and also in this year (1787) the first president of Columbia College after its reorgan- ization. In 1789 he was elected the first Senator of the United States from Connecticvit. When the seat of government was removed to Philadel- phia he attended one session of Congress, but in 1793 resigned in order to devote his whole time to the college. In 1800. on account of failing health, he resigned the presidency and retired to Stratford. Avhere he lived quietly until his death. He received the degree ef D.C.L. from Oxford in 1766. and later LL.I). from Yale. While in London he made many friends, among
