Johnson, Reverdy

Johnson, Reverdy

▪ American lawyer and politician
born May 21, 1796, Annapolis, Md., U.S.
died Feb. 10, 1876, Annapolis

      constitutional lawyer, U.S. senator from Maryland (1845–49, 1863–68), attorney general under President Zachary Taylor (1849–50), and minister to Great Britain (1868–69). Able to grasp either side of an issue, he was called “the Trimmer” for his ability to bring about compromises.

      Although he lived in a slave state, Johnson opposed slavery and the annexation of possible slave territory after the Mexican War (1846–48). He helped to keep Maryland in the Union during the American Civil War (1861–65). Nonetheless, he represented the slave-owning defendant in the famous Dred Scott (Dred Scott decision) case (1857), in which the U.S. Supreme Court decided that blacks could not be citizens of the United States.

      During the Civil War Johnson generally opposed extreme measures, and afterward he sought a moderate reconstruction program for the defeated South. As a senator he voted for a wartime loyalty oath, but after the war he was instrumental in having test oaths declared unconstitutional. He aided in securing acquittal in impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson (1868). As minister to Great Britain he prepared the way for the peaceful settlement of disputes between that nation and the United States over British policy toward the Confederacy.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Reverdy Johnson — (* 21. Mai 1796 in Annapolis, Maryland; † 10. Februar 1876 ebd.) war ein US amerikanischer Jurist, Politiker, Diplomat, US Senator und Justizminister (Attorney General) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Johnson (Familienname) — Johnson ist ein Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Johnson ist eine patronymische Namensbildung, abgeleitet vom englischen Vornamen John (deutsch: Johannes). Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Reverdy Johnson — Infobox US Cabinet official name=Reverdy Johnson order=22nd title=United States Attorney General term start=March 8, 1849 term end=July 21, 1850 predecessor=Isaac Toucey successor=John J. Crittenden birth date=birth date|1796|5|21|mf=y birth… …   Wikipedia

  • Reverdy Cassius Ransom — Infobox Person name=Reverdy Cassius Ransom caption= quotation= birth date=birth date|1861|1|4|mf=y birth place=Flushing, Ohio, U.S. death date=death date and age|1959|4|22|1861|1|4|mf=y death place=Wilberforce, Tennessee, U.S.Reverdy Cassius… …   Wikipedia

  • Johnson — /jon seuhn/; for 3 also Sw. /yoon sawn/, n. 1. Andrew, 1808 75, seventeenth president of the U.S. 1865 69. 2. Charles Spurgeon /sperr jeuhn/, 1893 1956, U.S. educator and sociologist. 3. Eyvind /ay vin/, 1900 76, Swedish writer: Nobel prize 1974 …   Universalium

  • Thomas George Pratt — (* 18. Februar 1804 in Washington D.C.; † 9. November 1869 in Baltimore, Maryland) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und von 1845 bis 1848 Gouverneur des …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der US-Senatoren aus Maryland — Senator class 1 Maryland ist seit dem 28. April 1788 US Bundesstaat und hatte bis heute 30 Senatoren der class 1 im US Senat, von denen drei, Samuel Smith, Reverdy Johnson und William Whyte jeweils zwei nicht unmittelbar aufeinanderfolgende… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Biografien/Joh — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der ehemaligen Mitglieder des US-Senates — In diesem Artikel oder Abschnitt fehlen wichtige Informationen. Du kannst Wikipedia helfen, indem du sie recherchierst und einfügst. Die Liste der ehemaligen Mitglied …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Naplis — Annapolis Spitzname: America s Sailing Capital , Sailing Capital of the World, Naptown …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”