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principally the Catoctin Furnace near Frederick
Town. By 1798 owned himself, or in partnership
with his brothers, forges, mills, and glassworks
in Frederick County. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLA-
TIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Anne Arundel
County, 1762-1763 (Public Offices 2), 1765-1766
(Grievances 3; Public Offices 2,3; Laws to Expire
2, 3), 1768-1770 (Public Offices 1; Grievances
1-4; Laws to Expire 1), 1771 (Grievances), 1773-
1774 (Elections 1, Cv; Grievances 1, Cv; Laws
to Expire 3); Conventions, Anne Arundel County,
1st, 1774, 2nd-3rd, 1774, 4th, 1775, 5th, 1775,
6th-8th, 1775-1776, Caroline County, 9th, 1776
(elected to fill vacancy); Senate, Western Shore,
Term of 1776-1781: 1777 (declined to serve after
election as governor); Lower House, Frederick
County, 1780-1781 (elected to the 1st session to
fill vacancy; Public Taxes 2), 1781 (elected to the
1st session of the 1781-1782 Assembly to fill va-
cancy, but did not attend; resigned on December
11, 1781); 1786-1787 (Elections 1, 2), 1787-1788
(Elections 1; Grievances 1); Senate, Western
Shore, Term of 1786-1791: 1786 (declined to
serve), 1788 (elected to the 2nd session of the
1787-1788 Assembly; did not attend), 1788 (de-
clined). OTHER PROVINCI AL/STATE OFFICES: Com-
mittee of Correspondence, Province of Mary-
land, appointed 1774; Council of Safety, Western
Shore, 1st, 1775; Governor, 1777-1779, elected
1788 (declined); Maryland Senate elector, Fred-
erick County, 1786; Constitution Ratification
Convention, Frederick County, 1788; chief judge.
General Court, 1790-1791. LOCAL OFFICES: clerk
of indictments, Frederick County, appointed Au-
gust 1760, Anne Arundel County, sworn June
1761; Committee of Correspondence, Anne
Arundel County, elected 1774; judge, Court of
Appeals for Tax Assessments, Frederick County,
1786; justice. Orphans' Court, Frederick County,
appointed 1799. MILITARY SERVICE, senior brig-
adier general, Maryland Militia, elected January
1776- February 1777 (relieved of his duties as
commander of the Flying Camp so that he could
continue serving in the Conventions, July 1776;
commander of the Maryland troops sent to aid
General Washington in his retreat through New
Jersey, December 1776-February 1777). our OF
STATE SERVICE: delegate. Continental Congress,
1774-1776 (elected in June 1774, December 1774,
April 1775, August 1775, May 1776, July 1776,
and November 1776; no evidence of attendance
after October 1776), 1779 (elected in December
1779, but did not attend; resigned on March 28,
1780), 1780 (elected in November 1780, but did
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not attend; resigned on January 16, 1781), 1783
(elected on May 12, 1783, to fill vacancy, but
declined to serve), 1784 (elected in December
1784, but declined to serve); member, Board of
Commissioners, District of Columbia, 1791-1794;
associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1791-1793
(resigned). Johnson was selected for the following
offices: U.S. District judge for Maryland, 1789;
secretary of state, 1795; and chief judge of the
Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, 1801.
He declined to serve in any of them. STANDS ON
PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: an early proponent of
opening the Potomac River to navigation; one of
the first directors of the Potomac Company, and
elected its president in 1789. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: taxed in St. Anne's
Parish, Annapolis, as a bachelor with assets worth
£100.0.0-£300.0.0, 1757, and with assets worth
over £300.0.0, 1760; assessed value of Annapolis
property £243.0.0, including 19 oz. plate, 1783.
ANNUAL INCOME: granted an allowance of
£3,750.0.0 by General Assembly in 1780, but spent
much of it equipping Revolutionary War soldiers.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 206 acres in Frederick
County and 5 lots in Annapolis, Anne Arundel
County (all by personal acquisition). SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND
DEATH: In the year after his first election, John-
son sold his Annapolis lots and began investing
heavily in Frederick County land. Between 1763
and 1765, he patented at least 21,649 acres in
Frederick County, including 10,290 with Lancelot
Jacques, 4,285 acres with Samuel Chase (1741-
1811), and 7,054 acres in his name alone. He sold
233 acres in Anne Arundel County inherited by
his wife shortly after their marriage. Throughout
his life, Johnson continued to acquire Frederick
County land, although much of it was held with
his brothers and, later, his sons. After the Rev-
olution he began patenting land further out in
western Maryland, principally 4,700 acres in what
is now Garrett County. He also bought up more
than 6,000 acres of the 50-acre lots West of Fort
Cumberland laid out by the General Assemby for
Revolutionary War soldiers. Johnson took out
certificates of survey on 8,600 acres now in Gar-
rett County, all of which were ultimately patented
by others, and 6,800 acres in Allegany County,
also patented by others. He did, however, patent
15,100 acres in Allegany County (in 50-acre lots),
only a few of which were sold before his death.
Shortly before he died, Johnson gave his daughter
1,509 acres in Allegany and Frederick counties.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on October 26, 1819, at
4%
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