Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-22
GOV. JOHNSON IS
MOURNED BY ALL
LAST THOUGHT OF MINNES0-
TAN is FOR WIFE
TELLS SPOUSE HE HAD FOUGHT
GOOD FIGHT
-
State Over Which He Had Been the
Chief Executive viii Be in Public
Mourning-His Successor
Popular
tcOntinusd from Page One,

(Continued from Page onel
and during the second operation the
/ appendix was removed.
! After the second operation Governor
johnson enjoyed fairly good health,
but had spells of indigestion which
later developed into serious attacks.
I These came on with increasing fire.
quency during the last two years.
The last operation was described by
surgeon who watched 1t as follows:
THE operation lasted two hours and
ten minutes. The preliminary WORK
disclosed a small, deep-seated abscess
pocket which connected with the seat
of the previous operation for the re-
moval of the appendix to the small In
testines. 1t required difficult, Sc
rious and somewhat prolonged opera
ton to remove this fistula. There
also were unusually numerous and diff
ficult adhesions of the smaller lntes-
tines to one another and to the abb
domlnal cavity"
First Native Elected Governor
John A. Johnson was the first native
Minnesotan to be chosen governor OF
the state, and of that distinction he
was Drouder than of any other feature
of his career. He felt more pride IN
that than he did in the fact that he
educated and prepared himself for that
career while trying to support a Wld-
owed mother.
Governor johnson was born near st.
Peter forty-eight years ago. His par
ents were natives of Sweden. His
father Gustav Johnson, and his moth
er, Caroline Hanson, were both OF
peasant stock.
Gustav Johnson was a blacksmith,
and for a number of years he con-
Quoted his business on a farm near ST
Peter. 1t was on this farm that the
future governor was born.
About the time of the Indian troubles
in that neighborhood during the civil
war the Johnsons moved to the VII
lage of St Peter, where the father re-
established his shop, but he failed TO
prosper in town and finally died, leaV-
ing his family in poverty. John' then
13 years old, worked in a grocery store
and drug stores, and in the meantime
formed the reading, habit, managing
to obtain a good education.
It was as timekeeper for firm OF
railroad contractors, however, he had
said, that his best business training
was gained. But he was always more
OF a student than a business man. He
studied not only books, but men, anC
for the latter he showed special aptl-
tude. He loved to mix with all sorts
of people, to study them and 10 learn
from their experiences.
bGCOH1CS NC"SPoPS' O"'S'
Finally an opportunity was opened
for him to become editor ana part
owner Of the st. Peter Herald
Genial. broad-minded, a fluent talker
| and ready of wit, his paper was pop
ular and he was always in demand as
/ a speaker at public meetings.
/ His first venture in politics resulted
in defeat for state senator In 1894, just
after he had married Miss Gilmore M.
Preston, a teacher
In 1898 he was again nominated by
the Democrats for the senate and was
elected He achieved a reputation as
a public speaker and a student of po-
lttfcaI questions, but he antagonized
members of his own party when ne
warmly defended the American SOL
diers in the Philippines and the con-
duct of the national administration.
But If he lost Democratic support he
gained more from the Republicans, and
when, in 1904 he was nominated for
governor by the Democratic state con-
vention, he was elected. Every day
of his administration added to his
popularity, and two years later he was
reelected Overwhelmingly.
When it was proposed to nominate
him for third term, the governor
declared he would not be candidate,
and did not even attend the Demo-
cratic state convention, but he was
unanimously renominated and was
again elected by a big majority, though
his opponent, j. F. Jacobson, was one
of the most popular Republicans in
the state.
In the meantime Johnson's political
record had become known far and
wide and he was in demand as a
speaker at political gatherings and
Chautauqua assemblies. He responded
to some of these demands and with
every appearance his popularity In
creased, until many of the Democratic
leaders strongly advocated his nomina-
ton for president of the United States
C. Eberhart, who, by the death of
Gov. John A. Johnson, becomes the
chief executive of the state, was born
in Sweden thirty-eight years ago, but
came to Minnesota in 1881. He at
tended the public schools and was
afterward graduated from Gustavus
Adolphus college at st. Peter, Mimi.
as minister of the gospel.
Soon after his graduation, Mr. Eber-
hart abandoned church work and took
UP the study of law. He soon built
up a large practice.
For many years Mr.. Eberhart has
been interested in politics and has
worked hard for the success of the Re-
publican party He was at one time
clerk of the United States circuit and
district courts and later was United
States commissioner for the district
of Minnesota.
In 1903 and 1905 he was elected to
the state senate. In 1906 he was elected
lieutenant governor and was reelected
in 1908.
Mr. Eberhart's name originally was
Olson. In Mankato, where he former
Iy lived, there We're half a dozen or
more Adolph Olsons, and much con-
fusion of identity resulted So when
the future state official was married
he asked the court to permit him to
take the name of his wife, petition
that was granted
PRESIDENT TAFT SENDS