James Johnson

Who was James Johnson?

James Johnson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1897 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party. Johnson was a cabinet minister in the government of Hugh John Macdonald, and was named speaker of the assembly in 1904.

Johnson was born in Mitchell, Canada West, the son of John Johnson, and was educated in that community. He worked as a farmer, and served as president of the Boissevain Land Company. Johnson was a reeve and councillor in Morton, and served as mayor of Boissevain. In religion, he was a member of the Church of England. In 1879, he married Susannah Oliver.

Johnson was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election held on November 27, 1897 in the constituency of Turtle Mountain following the death of John Hettle. Running as an independent Conservative, he defeated his Liberal opponent by 150 votes. He was re-elected as an independent Conservative in the 1899 provincial election, defeating Liberal J.S. Reikie by an increased margin.