James M. Johnson

Who is James M. Johnson?

James M. Johnson was an Arkansas politician, and a soldier for the Union Army in the First Arkansas Infantry during the American Civil War. After the war he was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1868, with Powell Clayton as Governor. When the Republican Party of Arkansas split in 1871, Johnson sided with the Brindle Tails against Clayton, who was supported by the Minstrels. When he spoke out against Clayton, he was attacked with articles of impeachment in the state legislature. Though exonerated, his reputation never recovered. Chief Justice John McClure was later impeached for allowing the Johnson affair to have happened. These were part of the events that lead to the Brooks-Baxter War.

He died on February 15, 1913.