Sacramento County
Biographies
HON. GROVE
L. JOHNSON
HON. GROVE L. JOHNSON, one of the leading members of the bar of Sacramento County, was born March 27, 1841, in Syracuse, New York, where his younger days were passed, his education obtained, and where he was admitted to the bar when but a little past his majority. At the age of fifteen years he was left an orphan, without means, and from that time forward has made his own way in the world, - much of it by “fighting,” as he himself expresses it; but his “fighting” has been in great part for his friends and the city of his adoption. He began the practice of his profession in his native city, but with such close application that his physical forces began to yield, and he saw the necessity of a change of climate. Accordingly, in 1863, he came overland to this State, by stage, being twenty-two days and nights on the journey. In 1865 he selected Sacramento for his residence. The next year he was appointed swamp land clerk of the board of supervisors of this county, an office he held for over seven years, though the political complexion of the board was twice changed during that period; and since May 1, 1874, he has been busily engaged as an attorney, and to some extent in politics. In the fall of 1877, with his colleague, he was elected as a Republican member of the Assembly; and two years later he was elected to the Senate. In 1882 he was again nominated for the Senate, but by political maneuvering he was counted out. During his term in the Legislature he came prominently to the front as an unyielding opponent of the so-called “gag-law,” and contributed signally to its final defeat. As a member of the Senate he was chairman of the committee on the Chinese and Chinese Immigration, on irrigation, water rights and drainage, and a leading member of those on judiciary, education, the State prison and the State library. In reference to this period of Mr. Johnson’s life, we will quote substantially from the Evening Post of San Francisco, published at the time: Fierce struggles, deadly conflicts, great indecorum, restless waiting, bitter complaining, exaltation, defiant toil, tender feeling have been that man’s portion in life, as one will see through his strange voice. This characteristic voice accounts for much of his power over men. Men strike hands with him and swear to stand by him, because his voice tells them that he has lived their life of pain and conflict. But this same voice in bitter sarcasm vibrates like the sting of a bee. His intense nature is of course variable in expression. While he is affable and accessible to all, whether friend or foe, he can confront harsh natures and cold-blooded critics with an icy coldness; his inner man hibernates in an alabaster cave. A cold-blooded calculation might silently torture Johnson, but a thousand enemies could never move him from a position. In debate he is utterly irresistible; in retort he surpasses all the attorneys of the State; in fact, in sudden repartee he is terrible. His industry is appalling, and he is evidently a man of destiny. For two terms Mr. Johnson was president of the old volunteer fire department, and took an active part in the founding of the Exempt Firemen’s Association, in November, 1872. In 1873 he became secretary of the association and served seven years; since then he has been its president. In the Odd Fellows’ Order he has been grand representative to the Sovereign Lodge of America; of the Red Men, he has been grand sachem; of the Druids, past noble arch; of the Knights of Pythias, past chancellor; of the United Workmen, past masterworkman; of the Knights of Honor, past protector, etc. He was married at Syracuse, New York, in 1861, to Miss Annie de Monfridy, a native of Onondaga County, New York, and Mr. Johnson, after his trip to this State, returned via Panama for her, and brought her West by the Nicaragua route. Their children are: Albert M., and Hiram W., associated with their father in legal business and three daughters.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of
Sacramento County, California. Pages 613-614. Lewis
Publishing Company. 1890.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.