WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON

1727-1819

Delegate to the Constitutional Convention (Connecticut)

Biographical Data
Religious Views
Quotations
References, Links, & Further Reading

Education: Yale

Occupation: lawyer, college president

Political Affiliation: Pro-Administration

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian, Episcopalian

Summary of Religious Views:

Johnson's father had been a Congregational minister, but became an Anglican minister prior to his son's birth. Although his father wanted him to become a minister, Johnson rejected this and instead chose the law as his career.

When Johnson's father was president of King's College (later Columbia), there was a disagreement between Presbyterian and Anglican supporters of the college. Johnson's father asked Johnson to produce a pamphlet defending the Anglican side, but this Johnson refused to do.

Views on Religion & Politics:

Quotations:

References, Links, & Further Reading: Books, Articles, Links

Books

Eben Edwards Beardsley, Life and Times of William Samuel Johnson, LL.D., Hurd and Houghton, 1876; reprint, Life and Times of William Samuel Johnson, LL.D.
G.C. Groce, William Samuel Johnson: A Maker of the Constitution, Columbia Univ. Press, 1937
Elizabeth McCaughey, From Loyalist to Founding Father, Columbia Univ. Press, 1980

Articles

Links

Works by William Samuel Johnson

Oliver Ellsworth and William Samuel Johnson Speeches in the Connecticut Convention (TeachingAmericanHistory.org)

Biographical Sites

JOHNSON, William Samuel, 1727-1819 (Biographical Directory of the US Congress)
William Samuel Johnson (National Archives -- The Founding Fathers)
William Samuel Johnson (Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution -- Center of Military History, United States Army)
William Samuel Johnson (Colonial Hall)