John W. Johnston

95

John W. Johnston : biography

September 9, 1818 – February 27, 1889

On May 11, 1903, a ceremony was held to install the portraits of deceased judges in the Washington County Courthouse. David F. Bailey was the speaker that presented the portrait of Johnston.Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 601–602 In his speech, he described Johnston:

Johnston was outlived by his wife, Nicketti, who died on June 9, 1908, aged eighty-nine.

Early career

Johnston & Trigg Law Office on Court Street in downtown Abingdon. Now in possession of the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia. Johnston served as commonwealth attorney for Tazewell County between 1844 and 1846. In 1846, he was elected to serve the remainder of the 1846–1847 term in the Virginia Senate, representing Tazewell, Wythe, Grayson, Smyth, Carroll, and Pulaski counties.Leonard, The General Assembly of Virginia, 424. He was re-elected for the 1847–1848 session.Leonard, The General Assembly of Virginia, 428.

During the Civil War, he held the position of Confederate States receiver, and was also elected as a councilman for the town of Abingdon in 1861.Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 648. Not much is known of his activities during the war, but he did send a letter to Brigadier-General John Echols that the Order of Heroes of America, was "growing fearfully" in southwest Virginia.Official Records, Series IV, V 3, p. 812, 816 This secret order was composed of Union sympathizers. This information was used in conjunction with other reports to request a suspension of habeas corpus so that the military could make arrests.

After the war, in 1867, he founded the Villa Maria Academy of the Visitation in Abingdon for the education of girls.Lang, Villa Maria Academy of the Visitation, 1 He was judge of the Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery of Virginia in 1869–1870.Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 600. Also around 1869, he formed a law partnership with a young local attorney, and his future son-in-law, Daniel Trigg. In 1872, they set up their offices in a small building near the courthouse which became known as the Johnston-Trigg Law Office.King, Places in Time, Volume One, 58

In November 1868, he wrote a letter to his daughter, which revealed that butter was scarce and that he doubted he would get a supply for the winter, but that "when we have spare ribs, sausages & crackilin bread, we can do without butter. The fact is I begin to consider butter a luxury anyhow, that poor people have no business with."John W. Johnston to Lavalette McMullen, November 6, 1868, LS, John W. Johnston Papers, Special Collections, Duke University

Political issues

Arlington Memorial controversy

Arlington House from a pre-1861 sketch, published in 1875. On December 13, 1870, Thomas C. McCreery (D) of Kentucky introduced a resolution regarding the Arlington House, the former home of Robert E. Lee, that brought down a firestorm of objections.Journal of the Senate, December 13, 1870.; Johnston, Reminiscences of Thirteen Years in the Senate, 14–23 The resolution called for an investigation to establish its ownership and the possibility of returning it to Mrs. Robert E. Lee. In addition, McCreery proposed the government fix up the premises, return any Washington relics discovered, and determine whether a suitable location nearby existed to relocate the dead.Journal of the Senate, December 13, 1870. Johnston described the excitement caused as the most pronounced he would see in his thirteen years in the Senate. It put him in "the most painful and embarrassing position of my life". and he was vehemently opposed:

However, in the course of the speeches opposing the resolution, Johnston felt General Lee’s memory had been attacked and he felt duty bound to defend him. The Democratic Party, knowing his views and that of his state, approached him and asked him to keep silent for the sake of the party and the relief of Virginia. Johnston correctly predicted that he would be attacked at home.Johnston, Reminiscences of Thirteen Years in the Senate, 24–25 He was up for re-election, and the opposing candidates used his position against him. A delegation from the Virginia General Assembly travelled to Washington to talk with the Democrats and assess the situation and were satisfied by the reports they received.Johnston, Reminiscences of Thirteen Years in the Senate, 26