Los Angeles County
Biographies
TOM LEMUEL JOHNSTON
JOHNSON, TOM LEMUEL, Lawyer, Los Angeles, California, was born at Seguin, Texas, February 25, 1862, the son of Thomas Dickey Johnston and Catherine K. (Calvert) Johnston. He is descended from one of the noted families of the South, among his ancestors being Lord Baltimore, who first settled Maryland Colony, and James Hall, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Johnston married Lula Freeman at Seguin, Texas, September 20, 1885, and to them there was born a daughter, Miss Clair Johnston, who is now one of the beautiful and brilliant young women in Southern California society circles.
Mr. Johnston, who bears the distinction of having received the largest fee in the legitimate practice of law ever made South of the Mason and Dixon Line, spent most of his life in the Lone Star State and received the larger part of his educational training in its schools. Following his attendance at the public schools of San Antonio, Texas, he entered St. Mary’s College at the same place. He next became a student Bingham School in North Carolina, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The degree of Master of Arts he received later at St. Mary’s University in Galveston, Texas. He also studied at McNeal’s College in Texas and read law for six years under private tutors.
Despite these many years of study, Mr. Johnston had barely attained his majority when he was admitted to the practice of law in the courts of Texas. A man of great natural ability, with the splendid education he received to supplement it, he met with success from the very beginning of his career. He first opened offices in his native town—Seguin, but moved to Galveston within a few months because of the greater field offered in the larger city. As in his home town, he met with gratifying success and during the three years that he remained in Galveston was one of the most active of the younger men in the profession of law. However, he decided to return to Seguin where he resumed his practice and took an active interest in the political affairs of the place. He was elected Prosecutor on the Democratic ticket shortly after his return and held the office for a term of four years, when he was re-elected (1890) for a second term of four years. During his tenure of office Mr. Johnston established a reputation for thoroughness in the preparation of his cases and also won recognition as an orator of unusual power. He appeared, during the eight years he served as a public officer, in many celebrated criminal cases, and his success in these, together with that attending his efforts in several notable actions since locating in California, has given him wide repute in professional circles.
Besides his work in criminal cases, however, Mr. Johnston has handled a large amount of civil practice and one case in this branch of judicial procedure, that in which he received the great fee referred to above, attracted attention all over the South at the time of its trail. This action was known as the Twohig Will Contest, Mr. Johnston representing the heirs in the suit. Twohig, the testator, was one of the wealthy men to San Antonio and died leaving an estate valued at one million six hundred thousand dollars. Certain heirs had tried in vain to acquired their part of the property involved and finally offered Mr. Johnston one-half of all they realized if he would undertake their cause and carry it to conclusion. It was a case generally regarded as hopeless and Mr. Johnston had little to encourage him to make a fight. He did, however, and he fought so well that the final decision was in his favor, carrying with it the entire estate. His clients readily and willingly turned over to him $800,000 as his fee and he received the congratulations of the profession all over the South for the great victory he had won.
Mr. Johnston gave up his practice in Texas in 1908, after having been one of the leaders of the Bar there for more than a quarter of a century, and went to Los Angeles, where he has since been located in the practice of his profession.
Since his arrival in California, Mr. Johnston has taken no active part in politics, but still is a staunch supporter of the Republican party principles, which he espoused in Texas in 1900.
Endowed with the natural grace and culture of the old South, Mr. Johnston and his family early took their place in the exclusive society of Los Angeles and are today noted for the entertainments which they give at their beautiful home.
Transcribed
by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 422,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2010 Joyce
Rugeroni.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPIES