Thomas Johnson (Kansas politician)

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

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

Johnson was a Kansas slave holder and sided strongly with the pro-slavery group during a period known as Bleeding Kansas, when it was unclear whether residents would vote to allow slavery in the territory. He 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]

Death

Johnson was murdered at his home on January 2, 1865. It is unknown whether he was killed during commission of a robbery or whether it was for political purposes,[3] though one theory is that his murderers were outraged at his apparent betrayal of the Southern cause.[1]

References
  1. "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.
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