Richard Mentor Johnson

Politician, lawyer, businessman

• Born: October 17, 1780
• Birthplace: Beargrass, Virginia
• Died: November 19, 1850
• Place of death: Frankfort, Kentucky

Significance: Richard Mentor Johnson was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson. He was the ninth vice president of the United States and served under President Martin Van Buren. Prior to this position, he served in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives as a delegate from Kentucky. Alongside his career in government, Johnson was involved in various business ventures.

Background

Richard Mentor Johnson was born on October 17, 1780, in Beargrass, Virginia, an area that later became part of Kentucky. Johnson's parents, Robert Johnson and Jemima Suggett, had moved to the area before his birth. Johnson's father was quick to acquire land in the area and eventually became one of the largest landholders in the state. Johnson grew up on his family's farm and attended common schools. He obtained apprenticeships reading law under various Kentucky legal scholars. He passed the bar in 1802 and began practicing law near his family's home in Kentucky. Johnson was also involved in a number of business ventures. He operated a retail store and invested in several speculative business enterprises with his brothers. He became very wealthy.

Despite his fortune, however, Johnson was an extremely generous person. He often waived his legal fees for the poor families he represented in court. He regularly opened his home to less-privileged individuals including disabled war veterans, orphans, and widows. Johnson's estate at Blue Spring Farm served as the primary venue for his bigheartedness, and his guests often praised him for his excellent hospitality. Johnson was very well-liked by those who became acquainted with him, and his friends often described him as one of the most personable and compassionate men they had ever known.

Overview

Between 1804 and 1806, Johnson was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives on behalf of Scott County. He championed legislation that protected settlers from land speculators. He was then elected to the US House of Representatives in 1806, his first of six consecutive terms. During his early career, Johnson's hero was Thomas Jefferson. Johnson kept up a correspondence with the politician during and after Jefferson's presidency.

Johnson's Kentucky background influenced his political stances. Prior to the outbreak of the War of 1812, he joined a group of politicians known as the War Hawks. The War Hawks wanted to declare war against Great Britain because the British had violated their frontiers and shipping rights. After President James Madison declared war on Great Britain, Johnson himself fought on the front lines, organizing and leading two military regiments that merged with General William Henry Harrison's unit. Johnson fought in the Battle on the Thames in October 1813. The conflict saw American forces up against British and Native American fighters. Although it could not be confirmed, Johnson was widely credited with killing Tecumseh, a legendary chief of the Shawnee tribe of Native Americans.

Johnson suffered some severe wounds during his time in combat but returned home a hero in 1814. His return to Congress focused on securing pension benefits for war widows and orphans. He was also interested in advancing economic development in the West. Between 1817 and 1819, he served as chairman of the House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War. He then retired from the House and was elected to fill a portion of Senator John J. Crittenden's Senate term in December 1819.

Johnson began his Senate term in debt as a result of an economic depression that plagued the country after the war. His experience with debt and the observations he made about others affected by the depression moved Johnson to introduce bills aimed at eliminating harsh federal punishments for debtors, such as imprisonment. He was re-elected to a full Senate term in 1822. During his tenure, Johnson also advocated for continued mail delivery on Sundays, arguing that ending mail delivery on Sundays for religious reasons was not in line with the constitutional principles of the separation of church and state. His efforts to end debt imprisonment finally succeeded in 1832 when Congress enacted a federal statute against such punishments, but this was after he had lost re-election to another Senate term.

Johnson returned to the House of Representatives in 1829, where he formed a strong friendship with President Andrew Jackson and became a supporter of the Democratic Party. His relationship with Jackson earned him the support of the Democrats during his campaign for the vice presidency in 1836. He was selected as the vice presidential candidate under presidential nominee Martin Van Buren. Van Buren won the election, but Johnson was a vote shy of landing the vice presidency. The decision was put to vote by the Senate, who voted Johnson in.

Johnson's term as vice president was described as unremarkable. He undertook his duties as leader of the Senate but held little influence within Van Buren's administration. Democrats wanted Johnson off the ticket in the election of 1840, but rather than select a new nominee, the party allowed state Democratic organizations to elect a vice president. Van Buren was defeated by William Henry Harrison, eliminating any chance Johnson may have had at reclaiming the vice presidency. Following the defeat, he returned to Kentucky, where he served in the Kentucky legislature between 1841 and 1843. He was re-elected in 1850 but died of a stroke on November 19, 1850.

Impact

Although Johnson's career as vice president was labeled as unexceptional, his career in politics and his public life have been described as admirable. His alleged defeat of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh made him a hero to his peers, and his generosity toward the less fortunate of society earned him great esteem throughout Kentucky. Johnson is the only vice president in history to be elected by the US Senate under the Twelfth Amendment of the US Constitution.

Personal Life

Johnson had a common-law marriage with one of his slaves, Julia Chin. The pair had two daughters and lived together in Kentucky. Chin died in 1833.

Bibliography

"The Day the Senate Picked a U.S. Vice President on Its Own." Constitution Center, 8 Feb. 2017, constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-day-the-senate-picked-a-u-s-vice-president-on-its-own. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.

"Johnson, Richard Mentor, (1780–1850)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=j000170. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.

"Richard M. Johnson (1837–1841)." Miller Center, millercenter.org/president/vanburen/essays/johnson-1837-vicepresident. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.

"Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th Vice President (1837–1841)." United States Senate, www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP‗Richard‗M‗Johnson.htm. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.

"Richard Mentor Johnson, Vice President: Biography & Facts." Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/richard-mentor-johnson-vice-president-biography-facts.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.