Date Published:
January 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Sir William Johnson

Johnson, Sir William, Bart. (1715-1774), superintendent of Indian affairs for New York, was born in Smithtown, county Meath, Ireland, in 1715. He was adopted by his relative, Admiral Sir Peter Warren, and accompanied the latter to America in 1738. He was placed in charge of Sir Peter Warren's estates in the Mohawk valley, and in 1752 inherited them. He gained a great hold over the Indians, and in 1755 he was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs for New York. In 1755 he commanded the expedition against Crown Point, and defeated and captured Baron Dieskau at lake George. In 1759 he commanded the provincial troops under General Prideaux in the expedition against Niagara, and was chiefly responsible for the success of the expedition. He died at Johnson Hall, near Schenectady, New York, on July 11, 1774. In 1755 he was created a baronet of the United Kingdom . By his wife, Catherine Wisenberg, he left one son and two daughters. See A. C. Buell, Sir William Johnson (New York, 1903), W. L. Stone, Life and times of Sir William Johnson (2 vols., Albany, 1865), A. Pound and R. E. Day, Johnson of the Mohawks (New York, 1930), and Sir William Johnson, Papers (6 vol., Albany, 1921-9).

[Consult the article at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.]

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Source : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. III, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 396p., pp. 304-305.