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Thomas Herman Johnson
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Lawyer, MLA (1907-1910), MLA (1910-1914), MLA (1914-1915), MLA (1915-1920), MLA (1920-1922).
Born at Hedinshofdi on Tjornes, Northern Iceland on 12 February 1870, son of Jon Bjornsson and Margret Sigridur Bjarnadottir, brother of Christian Johnson, he came to Gimli in 1879 and was educated at Winnipeg, Glenboro, and at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota). He sold newspapers to finance his education. He obtained a teaching certificate in 1888 and taught school around Glenboro. He entered law studies in 1895 with the law firm of Richards and Bradshaw, was admitted to the Manitoba Bar in 1900, and formed a law parnership with Samuel James Rothwell. He was Census Commissioner for Manitoba in 1901. He became chief legal counsel for both Lord Strathcona and the Hudson’s Bay Company.
On 21 June 1898, he married Aurora Frederickson (1877-1954) at Winnipeg. They had three children: Margaret Ethel Johnson (1899-?, wife of Thomas Edgar Hall Jolly), Elswood Brandur Johnson (1901-1970), and Cecil Frederick Johnson (1904-?). The family lived at 633 McDermot Avenue (1901-?) in a home designed by Johann “John” Schwab and built by Jon Jonnson Vopni and Davidson Brothers. He was a member of the Carleton Club and Lutheran church.
He served as a trustee for the Winnipeg School Division (1904-1907). He was elected to the Manitoba Legislature for West Winnipeg in 1907, and was re-elected in 1910, 1914, 1915, and 1920. He became the right-hand man of Premier Tobias Norris and entered the cabinet, where he promoted welfare legislation, prison reform, and worker’s compensation. He served as Minister of Public Works (1915-1917), Attorney-General (1917-1922), and Minister of Telephones and Telegraphs (1917-1922). In 1922, he retired from politics due to ill health and resumed a law practice with the firm of Johnson and Bergman.
In commemoration of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of St. Olaf by the King of Norway and the Order of the Falcon by the King of Denmark and Iceland.
He died at Winnipeg on 20 May 1927 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Birth registrations [], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.
Marriage registration [Margaret Ethel Johnson, Thomas Edgar Hall Jolly], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Thomas H. Johnson, former attorney-general, is dead,” Manitoba Free Press, 21 May 1927, page 1.
“T. H. Johnson’s widow dies at age of 76,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 June 1954, page 42.
Obituary [Elswood B. Johnson], Winnipeg Free Press, 18 August 1970, page 23.
Members of the Legislative Assembly (deceased), Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.
Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
We thank Nelson Gerrard, Oliver Bernuetz (Legislative Library of Manitoba), and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 19 March 2024
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