JOHNSON, REVERDY (1796-1876), American political leader and jurist, was born at Annapolis, Md., on May 21, 1796. His father, John Johnson (177o-1824), was a distinguished law yer, who served in both legislative houses of Maryland, as attorney general of the State (1806-11), as a judge (1811-21), and as a chancellor of his State (1821-24). Reverdy graduated from St. John's college in 1812. He then studied law in his father's office, was admitted to the bar in 1815 and began to practise in Upper Marlborough. In 1817 he removed to Baltimore, where he became the professional associate of Luther Martin, William Pinkney and Roger B. Taney; with Thomas Harris he reported the decisions of the court of appeals in Harris and Johnson's Reports (182o 27). From 1845 to 1849, as a Whig, he was a member of the United States Senate; and in 1849-5o he was attorney general of the United States. In 1856 he became identified with the con servative wing of the Democratic Party, and four years later supported Stephen A. Douglas for the presidency.
After the capture of New Orleans he was commissioned by Lincoln to revise the decisions of the military commandant, Gen eral B. F. Butler, in regard to foreign governments, and reversed all those decisions to the entire satisfaction of the administration. In 1863 he again took his seat in the United States Senate. In 1868 he was appointed minister to Great Britain, returning on the accession of Grant to the presidency. Again resuming his prac tice he was engaged by the government in the prosecution of Ku-Klux cases. He repudiated the doctrine of secession, and pleaded for compromise and conciliation. Opposed to the Recon struction measures, he voted for them on the ground that it was better to accept than reject them, since they were probably the best that could be obtained. As a lawyer he was engaged during his later years in most of the especially important cases in the Supreme Court of the United States. He died at Annapolis on Feb. io, 1876.