Thomas Johnson (Kansas politician)

For other people with the same name, see Thomas Johnson (disambiguation).
Thomas Johnson
Born(1802-07-11)July 11, 1802
DiedJanuary 2, 1865(1865-01-02) (aged 62)
Missouri, U.S.
OccupationMissionary

Thomas Johnson (July 11, 1802 – January 2, 1865) was an American missionary in Kansas who founded the Shawnee Methodist Mission in 1830. It was intended to serve and convert the Shawnee, several hundred of whom had been relocated to Indian Territory (which became Kansas) from east of the Mississippi River.[1]

Johnson was a Kansas slave holder and sided strongly with the pro-slavery group during a period known as Bleeding Kansas. Residents on either side of the slavery question recruited newcomers and fought violently prior to voting as to whether slavery would be allowed in the Kansas Territory. Johnson was elected as a member of the Kansas Territorial Legislature, which temporarily designated Shawnee Mission as the state capital from 1855 to 1856. Johnson was pro-Southern in sympathy but signed a Unionist pledge at the time of the American Civil War.[1]

Johnson County, Kansas is named for him.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b "Shawnee Indian Mission". Kansas Historical Society. September 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 169.
  3. ^ Hogan, Suzanne (February 5, 2015). "Meet The Controversial Man Who Gave Johnson County Its Name". KCUR. Retrieved May 16, 2018.