Show BIOGRAPHICAL 1 SKETCH OF JOHNSON St paul Minn Sept A AJohnson Johnson was the first native Minue linne to be chosen governor or of the tho state and or of that distinction h he was VIa prouder titan than of any other feature of oC his career carcer lIe Ho felt moro more in that than lie he did In the tue fact that ho edu du and prepared himself for that career while trying to support a wId wIdowed widowed owed Governor Johnson was born near noar St Peter years ears ago Ills His par cuts were natives of oC Sweden ills His father futher Gustav Gusta Johnson and his moth mother er cr Carolin Honson Hnnson LEaden Haden were both bothof or of peasant stock Gustav Guslav Johnson was a blacksmith and for far a number or of years lie he conduct conducted ed his business on a farm arm near St Peter It was ott on his farm that the future governor was born About the time or of the Indian trou bles In that neighborhood during the CIvil War Var the tho Johnsons moved to the village lIla e or of St Peter where the faUl fath faUler or er reestablished his shop but lie he failed to prosper In town and finally dIed leaving his family In poverty John then 13 years o of age worked in grocery and dru drug stores and In the meantIme formed the reading habit managing to Lo obtain a t good education It was as timekeeper for a firm of railroad contractors ho bo has hns said that his best business training was gained But ho was always more of a student than a business man He studied not only hooks books out men and for the latter he showed specIal aptitude tude Ho He loved to mix with all sorts of oC people to stull study them and to learn from theIr experiences Finally an Ope op opportunity wu was opened for him to ho he come editor and part owner ot oC the St Peters Herald Genial broad broadminded broadminded minded and a fluent talker and ready of wit wil his paper was popular and he was always In demand ns as a speaker at pt public lIc meetings HIs first venture in ill politics resulted In iii defeat for state senator in ill IS 1391 Just after he had mar ned Miss 1185 Elinore M I Pres Preston Lon a teach or cr I In Ill lie ho was again nominated hy by hythe bythe the Democrats for the senate and was elected Here ho reached his ion fiS as a public speaker and a student of political affairs but antagonized members of oC the tho party part r when lie he warmly defended the tho American soldiers In the Philippines and the tho conduct of the tho American administration But Jr if lie hc lost Democratic support h he gained more from the RepublIcans and when In ha 1904 h ho was vas nominated for gOY gov by the state con convention volition he be was elected Every da day of his administration added to his p popularity pu larity and two years later lator ho he was re reelected reelected elected overwhelmingly When It was proposed to nominate him for n a third time limo tIm tho governor declared he would not ho bo a candidate and did not oven een attend the tho Democratic state slate conven convention tIon but bul lie he WitS unanimously oil od and was a again aln elected b by n abig bIg ma majority although his opponent J r F Ta Ja Jaco co lon was one of tIlO tho most popular Republican politicians In the tho state In the tho Johnsons political cal record had bad become known tar far and wIde and ho was In demand ns as a speaker at political gatherings and chautauqua assemblies lie Ho responded to some or of those demands and with every his liI popularity In Increased Increased creased until many of the Democratic leaders strongly advocated his nom for of oC the United States |