Robert Johnson (governor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Johnson was the British
colonial Governor of the Province of South Carolina
in 1717-1719, and again from 1729-1735. Governor Johnson ordered Colonel William Rhett
to engage the notorious pirate Stede Bonnet
's sloop
s in the Battle of Cape Fear River
near Charleston in 1718. His maternal grandson was South Carolina Congressman Ralph Izard
.
from 1702-08, and had inherited from his father a considerable estate. On Apr. 30, 1717, he was commissioned governor of South Carolina. Like his father, he soon won the confidence of the people, but coming at a time when the powers of the proprietors were already tottering, he was baffled in his efforts to conciliate the colonists, by the proprietors' own greed and folly, and in hia endeavors to sustain their authority he lost whatever influence he might have exercised. The most important event of this period of his administration was the suppression of the pirates who were preying upon the commerce of South Carolina and neighboring colonies. Fitting out an expedition, he personally commanded a victorious engagement with them off the bar of Charleston, and carried on the campaign until they were exterminated and their famous leader. Stede Bonnet
was captured, and on Sept. 10, 1718 was executed. In 1719, when the proprietary government was overthrown, the revolutionary convention, of which Arthur Middleton was president, requested him to continue in office if he would agree to administer it in the name of the king, but Johnson declined to do so, asserting the rights of the proprietors to whom he owed allegiance. James Moore II was thereupon elected governor by the convention, and Johnson was set aside.
Notwithstanding the loyalty thus shown to the proprietors, he was appointed first regular royal governor of the colony in December, 1729, and upon his arrival at Charleston, early in 1731, was joyfully received by the people. His administration was marked by the issuance of several acts regarding the granting of land to new settlers, and by a protracted boundary dispute with North Carolina, the two colonies being for the first time constituted entirely separate provinces. He aided James Oglethorpe
in the settlement of Georgia
by providing food and escort to his colonists, and during his term the settlement of Purrysburg
was made by the Swiss under Jean-Pierre de Pury. Gov. Johnson endeared himself to the people by his high-minded character, which won for him the title of the "good governor." He remained in office till his death, which took place in Charleston on May 3, 1735. In the same year the general assembly erected a monument to his memory in St. Philip's Church, where it remained until the edifice was burned in 1835.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
colonial Governor of the Province of South Carolina
Province of South Carolina
The South Carolina Colony, or Province of South Carolina, was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....
in 1717-1719, and again from 1729-1735. Governor Johnson ordered Colonel William Rhett
William Rhett
Colonel William Rhett moved to the Province of Carolina in 1698. He soon became successful and gained a high rank and social status as a colonial leader. In 1706 it was Rhett who commanded a flotilla that fought off a Franco-Spanish attack on Charles Town...
to engage the notorious pirate Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet was an early 18th-century Barbadian pirate, sometimes called "the gentleman pirate" because he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados, and inherited the family estate after his...
's sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
s in the Battle of Cape Fear River
Battle of Cape Fear River
The Battle of Cape Fear River, or the Battle of the Sandbars, was fought in September of 1718 between a British naval expedition from South Carolina against the pirate ships of Stede Bonnet...
near Charleston in 1718. His maternal grandson was South Carolina Congressman Ralph Izard
Ralph Izard
Ralph Izard was a U.S. politician. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1794.-Early life:...
.
Life
He was the son of Sir Nathaniel Johnson, governor of the Province of South CarolinaProvince of South Carolina
The South Carolina Colony, or Province of South Carolina, was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....
from 1702-08, and had inherited from his father a considerable estate. On Apr. 30, 1717, he was commissioned governor of South Carolina. Like his father, he soon won the confidence of the people, but coming at a time when the powers of the proprietors were already tottering, he was baffled in his efforts to conciliate the colonists, by the proprietors' own greed and folly, and in hia endeavors to sustain their authority he lost whatever influence he might have exercised. The most important event of this period of his administration was the suppression of the pirates who were preying upon the commerce of South Carolina and neighboring colonies. Fitting out an expedition, he personally commanded a victorious engagement with them off the bar of Charleston, and carried on the campaign until they were exterminated and their famous leader. Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet was an early 18th-century Barbadian pirate, sometimes called "the gentleman pirate" because he was a moderately wealthy landowner before turning to a life of crime. Bonnet was born into a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados, and inherited the family estate after his...
was captured, and on Sept. 10, 1718 was executed. In 1719, when the proprietary government was overthrown, the revolutionary convention, of which Arthur Middleton was president, requested him to continue in office if he would agree to administer it in the name of the king, but Johnson declined to do so, asserting the rights of the proprietors to whom he owed allegiance. James Moore II was thereupon elected governor by the convention, and Johnson was set aside.
Notwithstanding the loyalty thus shown to the proprietors, he was appointed first regular royal governor of the colony in December, 1729, and upon his arrival at Charleston, early in 1731, was joyfully received by the people. His administration was marked by the issuance of several acts regarding the granting of land to new settlers, and by a protracted boundary dispute with North Carolina, the two colonies being for the first time constituted entirely separate provinces. He aided James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
in the settlement of Georgia
Province of Georgia
The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern colonies in British America. It was the last of the thirteen original colonies established by Great Britain in what later became the United States...
by providing food and escort to his colonists, and during his term the settlement of Purrysburg
Purrysburg, South Carolina
Purrysburg was a colonial town in Jasper County, South Carolina. While the town itself was abandoned, the settlers were successful. The town was located on the South Carolina bank of the Savannah River....
was made by the Swiss under Jean-Pierre de Pury. Gov. Johnson endeared himself to the people by his high-minded character, which won for him the title of the "good governor." He remained in office till his death, which took place in Charleston on May 3, 1735. In the same year the general assembly erected a monument to his memory in St. Philip's Church, where it remained until the edifice was burned in 1835.