John Mercer Johnson (October 1818 – November 8, 1868) was a Canadian lawyer and politician from the Province of New Brunswick, and a Father of Confederation. He represented Northumberland in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1850 to 1865, and again from 1866 to 1867, each time elected as a candidate aligned with the liberal movement. Johnson was appointed to the Executive Council of New Brunswick and became the province's solicitor general, postmaster, minister without portfolio and attorney general. He attended all three conferences for Canadian Confederation and supported Canada's creation. In the first parliament for the country of Canada, Johnson was elected to represent Northumberland, serving in the role from 1867 to 1868 as a Liberal member. Plaques have been erected in his honour in Chatham, his hometown, and a mountain in Northumberland county was named for him.
Early life and education
Johnson was born in Liverpool, England, in October 1818. His father was also named John Mercer Johnson, and he was a merchant and public official in Chatham, New Brunswick; his mother was named Ellen. The younger Johnson emigrated to Chatham, New Brunswick, in 1821. He studied at Northumberland County Grammar School, then in the law office of John Ambrose Street. In 1837, he became the secretary of the Young Men's Debating Society in Chatham. He became an attorney on October 13, 1838, and a barrister in October 1840.
Legal career
In 1840, Johnson opened a law office in Chatham and joined a professional partnership with C. A. Harding, but the partnership ended two years later. In 1851, he donated land for the construction of a temperance hall. The assembly was non-partisan but Johnson was considered a liberal candidate and campaigned on implementing responsible government. He was reelected in the election on June 27, 1856, In 1862 he became a trustee of the County Grammar School. In the Charlottetown Conference, he favoured a legislative union of the colonies and suggested that provinces might be dissolved or merged. He suggested that Prince Edward Island merge with New Brunswick, which irritated the other delegates at the conference and was rejected.
He changed his mind before the Quebec Conference and thought the legislative union would be impractical. In the Quebec conference, he supported a strong, centralised federal government that would have control of the court system. Other delegates disagreed with him and wanted more provincial control of the courts. This led to a compromise where the federal government enacts criminal laws and appoints county judges, while the provinces enact civil laws and administer the courts.
He was defeated in the re-election for his seat on March 18, 1865, He stated his belief that the American Civil War was caused by a weak central government. He also believed that if Canada adopted an American model of government they would either eventually merge with America or become a republic. His goal was to maintain Canada's connection to Britain, declaring that British institutions were more democratic than American ones. He also opposed the establishment of a judicial system that could override the other branches of government; if the rights of local governments were interfered with by federal law, the government could appeal to the British parliament. His belief was that parliament reflected citizens' political opinions, instead of each parliamentarian just representing their constituencies, and that referendums were not required to change the constitution of Canada or to enact new policies.
He attended the London Conference of 1866, making him one of eleven Fathers of Confederation to have attended all three conferences that led to the establishment of the Constitution Act, 1867. While in London he entertained the other members and the public with poetry presentations and ice-skating performances. He defeated Thomas F. Gillespie in the election.
Personal life and death
On October 9, 1845, he married Henrietta Shirreff; they had twelve children,
In memoriam
A plaque was placed in 1927 for Johnson's honour at St. Paul's Church in Chatham by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. A street is named after him in the Chatham neighbourhood. The Order in Council for the mountain's name took effect on September 1, 1964, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the New Brunswick delegates arrival to the Charlottetown Conference.