Luke S. Johnson
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Huron County district
In office
January 1, 1891 – January 1, 1893
Preceded byAugust Heinemann
Succeeded byJohn Sparling
Personal details
Born
(1847-12-30)December 30, 1847

Avon, Ohio
DiedDecember 17, 1910(1910-12-17) (aged 62)
Caseville, Michigan
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		People's Party (1898, fusion)
Spouse
  • Clara Chase
    ​
    (m. 1867)​
Military service
Allegiance United States Army
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Luke S. Johnson (December 30, 1847 – December 17, 1910) was an American soldier and politician.

Early life

Luke S. Johnson was born on December 30, 1847, in Avon, Ohio, to parents Thomas and Nancy Johnson.[1] Luke was raised on a farm until age 15, when he enlisted in the Union Army.[2]

Military career

Johnson enlisted in the Union Army at age 15. He was initially enrolled in Company H of the 43rd Ohio Infantry Regiment. The regiment was assigned the command of the XVI Corps in the Fourth Division, but in the spring of 1864, Johnson was transferred to the First Division of the XVII Corps. There, he served under General John W. Sprague. On May 1, 1864, Johnson's regiment joined General William Tecumseh Sherman's army at Chattanooga. The first battle Johnson participated in which he was under fire was the Battle of Decatur. Johnson received a minor leg wound, above the left knee joint, at the Battle of Resaca. Johnson still participated in future battles, such as the Battle of Dallas, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and the Battle of Peachtree Creek. After the fall of Atlanta, Johnson served as an orderly for General Sprague, a position he served in until he was discharged at the end of the war. After the war, Johnson moved back to Lorain County, Ohio.[1]

Career

In 1869, Johnson moved with his family to Saginaw, Michigan. There, he worked for five years as an engineer in mills for G. F. Williams & Bros.[2] In March 1874, Johnson moved to Caseville, Michigan, where he started work as log scaler and a shipper of lumber and salt. By 1884, Johnson had served two years as deputy sheriff, and three terms as township clerk, and had filed for another term.[1]

On November 7, 1890, Johnson was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, where he represented the Huron County district. He was sworn in on January 7, 1891.[3] In the legislature, Johnson sought to amend an 1889 law. Johnson's amendment sought to make a county relief fund for indigent soldiers and sailors, as opposed to a township fund. The bill passed the state house on June 24, 1891.[4] Johnson's term expired on January 1, 1893.[3] In 1898, Johnson ran again for the Huron County seat in the state house on a fusion ticket called the Democratic People's Union Silver, but was defeated by Republican John J. Murdoch.[5] Johnson ran for the seat again in 1906, where he was defeated again by Republican Leonard R. Thomas.[6]

Johnson served for years as chairman of the Huron County Democratic Committee.[7] By August 1910, Johnson resigned as chairman due to ill health.[8]

Personal life

On February 18, 1867, Johnson married Clara Case. Together, they had six children.[1] Johnson was a Freemason.[9]

Death

Johnson died on December 17, 1910, in Caseville. On December 20, 1910, Johnson was interred at Caseville Cemetery.[3] He was survived by his wife and all six of his children.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Chapman Brothers (1884). Portrait and biographical album of Huron county [Michigan] Containing ... biographical sketches ... of citizens ... also ... a complete history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time. University of Michigan. p. 324.
  2. 1 2 Michigan Historical Commission (1924). Michigan Biographies: Including Members of Congress, Elective State Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Members of the Michigan Legislature, Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, State Board of Agriculture and State Board of Education, Volume 1. p. 448.
  3. 1 2 3 "Legislator Details - Luke S. Johnson". Michigan Legislature. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Hubbel Has a Hobby". Telegram-Herald. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 25 June 1891. p. 1. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State (1899). "Michigan manual. 1899-1900". Red Book. Lansing, Michigan: HathiTrust: 652.
  6. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State (1907). "Michigan manual. 1907". Red Book. Lansing, Michigan: HathiTrust: 613.
  7. ↑ "Luke Johnson Dead". The Sebewaing Blade. December 29, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Democratic County Ticket". The Sebewaing Blade. August 25, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 "State Briefs". Alma Record. Alma, Michigan. 5 January 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
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