Johnson, John

Other names: Sir; 2nd Baronet of New York
Birth: November 5, 1741 in Mount Johnson, NY
Death: January 4, 1830 in Montreal
Education

Sporadic studies at the Academy and College of Philadelphia (Penn, 1757-1760)

Faith

Episcopalian

Nationality

British-American, Canadian

Occupation

Politician

Marital status

Had a common law wife, whom he discarded upon his legal marriage in 1773.

Biography

Sir John Johnson was Sir William Johnson's son by Catherine Weissenberg, his Dutch common-law wife. He followed closely in his father's footsteps and participated in war and diplomacy from an early age. He was knighted between 1765 and 1767 while on a trip to Great Britain. John Johnson was a staunch loyalist. In 1776, he fled to Canada to fight on the British side, bringing many Mohawk allies with him. After the Revolution, he advocated for Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) interests in Canada and played a prominent role in Canadian politics. Wheelock awaited John Johnson's return from Britain in 1767 to find out whether there was an opportunity to supply Reformed Protestant missionaries to the Six Nations, or whether missionary organizations in England intended to send Anglican missionaries, for whom Sir William Johnson had expressed a preference.

Sources

Historie Assemblee nationale du Quebec. “John Johnson.” http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/patrimoine/anciens-parlementaires/johnson-john-217.html Accessed 12/4/13. Thomas, Earle. “Johnson, Sir John.” In Dictionary of Canadian Biography (Vol 6). University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/johnson_john_6E.html. Accessed 12/4/13.