Maryland's First Governor

Maryland's First Governor. . , For over 30 years, Thomas Johnson, Jr. committed himself to a life of public service for Maryland and the newly independent United States. Born in Calvert County in 1732, he excelled in the legal profession in Annapolis, later relocating to Frederick in the 1770s. Johnson was successful in real-estate and farming. He became an influential leader in the fight for independence, serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress and commanding troops in the American Revolution., Johnson helped draft Maryland's first constitution and would soon become the state's first elected governor in 1777. After serving multiple terms as governor, Thomas Johnson, Jr. returned to Frederick in 1780 and held a number of state legislative and judicial positions. In 1791, his dear friend, George Washington, appointed Johnson as a justice on the US Supreme Court, and assigned him to serve as one of the commissioners to lay out the new nation's capital.,

"The overwhelming majority in favor of Johnson for Governor was an unquestioned tribute to his integrity, ability, and lofty patriotism." , , Edward S. Delaplpaine (1833-1989) , Noted jurist, historian and Johnson biographer

, [Sidebar:] , Rose Hill Manor , Thomas Johnson, Jr. retired from public service in 1793. He lived out his final years at Rose Hill Manor which was built for his daughter, Ann Jennings (Johnson) Grahame. Johnson died October 26th, 1819 at the age of 87., Johnson's Burial(s) , Thomas Johnson's body was first buried at All Saints' Episcopal Churchyard in an underground family crypt. The Johnson vault contained the remains of his wife and brothers (James, Joshua and John), and two of his children (Dorcas and Rebecca)., In 1894, the newly-founded Frederick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a marble marker above the Johnson family tomb at the urging of charter member Ann Grahame Ross, Johnson's granddaughter. The All Saints' Cemetery was sold in 1913, and all of the bodies were re-interred here at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in November of that year., The 1894 DAR marker was moved here in 1913 and a large monument was placed over Johnson's burial space., Thomas Johnson's legacy as our first state governor and Revolutionary War patriot lives on… , Founded in 1968, the Thomas Johnson Society, Children of the American Revolution, is part of the nation's oldest and largest patriotic youth organization established in 1895. Membership is open to descendants of patriots of the American Revolution., Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, Frederick City, opened in 1966., Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge over the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland.