James Johnson (12 February 1811 – 20 November 1891) was a Governor of Georgia from 17 June to 14 December 1865, succeeding Joseph E. Brown and preceding Charles J. Jenkins.
Biography[]
James Johnson was born in Robeson County, North Carolina on 12 February 1811, and his family moved to Georgia when he was ten years old. He was classmates with Alexander Stephens, Crawford W. Long, and William H. Crawford at Franklin College, graduating in 1832. In 1835, he became a lawyer, and he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1851 as a Constitutional Union Party member. In 1853, he was defeated by Alfred H. Colquitt during his reelection bid, and he opposed secession during the American Civil War. On 17 June 1865, President Andrew Johnson appointed him Governor of Georgia at the start of Reconstruction, serving until a new constitution was adopted in December. After the war, he became a customs collector at the port of Savannah, and he served as judge of the superior court until 1875. Johnson died in 1891 at the age of 80.