Jump to content

Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr.
Born
Samuel Ealy Johnson

(1838-11-12)November 12, 1838
Wedowee, Alabama, U.S.
DiedFebruary 25, 1915(1915-02-25) (aged 76)
Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
Resting place
Johnson Family Cemetery
Occupations
  • Politician
  • businessman
  • farmer
  • rancher
Political party
Populist
Spouse
Eliza Bunton
​
(m. 1867)​
Children9, including Samuel Jr.
RelativesJohnson family
Military service
AllegianceConfederate States
Confederate States Army
Service years
1861–1865
Rank
Private
UnitCompany B, 26th Texas Cavalry Regiment
Battles

Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr. (November 12, 1838 – February 25, 1915) was an American politician, businessman, farmer, and rancher.[1][2] He was the grandfather of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson.

Early life

[edit]
The Johnson Family in front of their home near Stonewall, Texas (birthplace of LBJ). Sam Ealy Johnson Sr. (center) with other family members. On his right is Eliza.

Johnson was born in Wedowee, Alabama, the 10th child of Jesse and Lucy Webb (née Barnett) Johnson. Reared a Baptist, he later became a member of the Christian Church. In his later years, he became a Christadelphian, following his wife and daughter.[3]

Career

[edit]

In the late 1850s, Johnson settled with his brother Jesse Thomas Johnson, better known as Tom Johnson, in a one-room log cabin on 320 acres that became headquarters for the largest cattle driving operation in seven counties. Sam enlisted in Company B, 26th Texas Cavalry Regiment on September 18, 1861, and served until the end of the American Civil War on the coast of Texas and in Louisiana. Johnson participated in the Battle of Galveston and the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. After the war, he married Eliza Bunton of Caldwell County on December 11, 1867.

By 1890, Johnson had become active in politics as a member of the Gillespie County branch of the Farmer's Alliance, advocating for the issuance of greenbacks and for government intervention to stabilize crop prices.[4] In the fall of 1892, Johnson was the Populist nominee for Blanco and Gillespie counties to the Texas House of Representatives.[5] He died in Texas of pneumonia in early 1915.[citation needed]

Notes

[edit]
Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Archives and Records Administration.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Charters Filed". Austin American. Vol. 39, no. 211. Austin, Texas. July 31, 1908. p. 4. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Fredericksburg Man Dies". Austin American. Vol. 2, no. 60. Austin, Texas. March 1, 1915. p. 3. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ William C. Pool, Emmie Craddock, David Eugene Conrad Lyndon Baines Johnson: the formative years 1965 p.19
  4. ↑ Cantrell, Gregg (2020). The People's Revolt: Texas Populists and the Roots of American Liberalism. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 23–29. ISBN 978-0-300-10097-6.
  5. ↑ "Populist Nominations". Galveston Daily News. Vol. LI, no. 161. Galveston, Texas. September 1, 1892. p. 9. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samuel_Ealy_Johnson_Sr.&oldid=1370388481"