Thomas Johnson (Kansas politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Johnson
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| Born | July 11, 1802 |
| Died | January 2, 1865 (aged 62) Missouri, U.S.
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| Occupation | Missionary |
Thomas Johnson (born July 11, 1802 – died January 2, 1865) was an American missionary. He is known for starting the Shawnee Methodist Mission in Kansas in 1830. This mission was built to help and teach the Shawnee people. Many Shawnee had moved to Kansas from areas east of the Mississippi River.
Johnson lived in Kansas during a very difficult time. He owned enslaved people and strongly supported the idea that slavery should be allowed. This period was known as Bleeding Kansas. During this time, people on both sides of the slavery debate fought violently. They wanted to decide if slavery would be allowed in the Kansas Territory. Johnson was chosen to be part of the Kansas territorial legislature. This group briefly made Shawnee Mission the capital from 1855 to 1856. Even though he supported the Southern states, he signed a promise to support the Union during the American Civil War.
Johnson County, Kansas is named after him.
His Final Days
Thomas Johnson died at his home on January 2, 1865. This was in the last year of the Civil War. It is not fully known if he was killed during a robbery or if it was for political reasons. Some historians think his killers were angry because they felt he had betrayed the Southern cause.
