Andrew Johnston (English politician)

Andrew Johnston (23 May 1835 – 28 February 1922) was a Liberal Party politician in England.[1][2]

For other people named Andrew Johnston, see Andrew Johnston (disambiguation).

Life

Johnston was the son of the abolitionist Priscilla (born Buxton) and Andrew Johnston,[3] MP of Holton Halesworth, Sussex, Member of Parliament for Anstruther Easter and St Andrews Burghs.[4] He was educated at Rugby School and University College Oxford.

Andrew junior was elected at the 1868 general election as a member of parliament (MP) for the Southern division of Essex, one of two Liberals elected unopposed in the first election after the county had been restructured by the Representation of the People Act 1867 from two divisions to four.[5]

Faced with a contest at the 1874 general election, Johnston was the lowest placed of four candidates, and both seats were won by Conservative Party candidates. He did not stand for Parliament again.[5]

Defeat in Parliament allowed him to concentrate on Essex affairs. He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1866, and served as High Sheriff of Essex for 1880–81. When the Essex County Council was set up in 1889, he was unanimously elected its first chairman, an office he occupied well into advanced years, resigning only in 1916. His service of 27 years in the chair has never been equalled, and his portrait holds pride of place in Committee Room no2 of the present council.

In private life, Johnston married Charlotte Ann, the daughter of the Rev. George Trevalyan. They had one daughter, who died in childhood.[4] Johnston was a keen exponent of teetotalism, and founded the Wilfrid Lawson Temperance Hotel at Woodford, where he lived. He was a verderer of Epping Forest 1878–1887.

He died on 28 February 1922, and at his funeral service, the Bishop of Chelmsford said he was a "man who was what he appeared to be, and appeared to be what he was".[6]

The amplest account of his later life is to be found in Richard Morris, The Verderers and Courts of Waltham Forest in the County of Essex 1250-2000, Loughton 2004.

References
  1. "Mr Andrew Johnston". Hansard 1803–2005. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  2. "House of Commons constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  3. Clare Midgley, ‘Buxton , Priscilla (1808–1852)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2015 accessed 25 June 2017
  4. Foster, J. The royal lineage of our noble and gentle families. p. 138.
  5. Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 387. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  6. "Andrew Johnston - County Tribute of Respect - Bishop's Eulogy". Essex Chronicle (8217). 10 March 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 20 April 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Henry Selwin-Ibbetson
Lord Eustace Cecil		 Member of Parliament for South Essex
1868–1874
With: Richard Baker		 Succeeded by
Thomas Baring
William Makins


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