 Thomas
Johnson was born in Maryland on November 4, 1732. Johnson was taught at
home, and as a man read law before being admitted to practice law in
1760. The next year, Johnson was elected to the Maryland provincial
assembly. In the mid-1770s, Johnson attended both the First (1774) and
Second (1775) meetings of the Continental Congress. Johnson was a
draftsman of the 1775 Maryland declaration of rights. Although he did
not sign the
Declaration of Independence, Johnson strongly supported independence
in Maryland, and was a draftsman of Maryland's declaration of
independence. Between 1777 and 1780, Johnson was Governor of Maryland.
He then became a member of Maryland's assembly, and supported adoption
of the
Articles of Confederation. After forming a trading company with
George Washington, Johnson returned to the Maryland legislature in 1786.
He urged Maryland join the new Union in 1788. Before being nominated to
the Court in 1791, Johnson served as a judge in Maryland. Johnson has
the honor of having written the Court's first opinion, Georgia v.
Brailsford (1792). He resigned from the Court in January 1793.
In 1766, Johnson married Ann Jennings.
Although his health was poor, Johnson lived until October 26, 1819.
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