John W. Johnston
John W. Johnston | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Virginia | |
| In office January 26, 1870 – March 3, 1871 March 15, 1871 – March 3, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | John S. Carlile |
| Succeeded by | Harrison H. Riddleberger |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the Tazewell, Wythe, Grayson, Smyth, Carroll & Pulaski counties district | |
| In office December 7, 1846 – December 4, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | James H. Piper |
| Succeeded by | Thomas M. Tate |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Warfield Johnston September 9, 1818 "Panicello", Washington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 1889 (aged 70) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Nicketti Buchanan Floyd |
| Residence(s) | Abingdon, Virginia Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
John Warfield Johnston (September 9, 1818 – February 27, 1889) was an American lawyer and politician from Abingdon, Virginia. He served in the Virginia State Senate, and represented Virginia in the United States Senate when the state was readmitted after the American Civil War. He was a United States Senator for 13 years. In national politics, he was a Democrat.
Initially declared ineligible to serve in Congress because of the Fourteenth Amendment because he had sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, he was seated after the Freedmen's Bureau declared he helped a sick and dying former slave after the conflict. Senator Johnston became the first former Confederate to serve in the United States Senate.