Cave Johnson
Cave Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date near Springfield, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 1866 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Statesman, politician, judge, bank president |
| Years active | 1829–1866 |
| Known for | 12th United States Postmaster General, introduction of prepaid postage stamps |
Cave Johnson (January 11, 1793 – November 23, 1866) was a prominent American statesman who served as a Democratic representative for Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives. He held the position of the 12th United States Postmaster General during President James K. Polk's administration from 1845 until 1849.
Early life
Johnson was born near what is now Springfield, Tennessee, to parents Robert and Mary Noel Johnson. His name honors Rev. Richard Cave, a Baptist clergyman connected to his family. Amid the War of 1812, he organized volunteer forces but did not serve under Andrew Jackson. In 1813, he enlisted in his father's militia during the Creek War before completing his legal education in Nashville.
Career
Settling in Clarksville, Johnson became a member of its inaugural board of aldermen. By the time he was first elected to Congress in 1829, he owned an ironworks employing both enslaved and free African American laborers. He advocated for federal legal safeguards for slavery as a means to temper secessionist sentiments.
While in Congress, Johnson initially resisted funding for Samuel Morse's Baltimore–Washington telegraph line, even attaching an amendment promoting research into animal magnetism. However, following the telegraph’s demonstrated success, he recognized it as an "astonishing invention."
As campaign manager for Polk, Johnson secured the Postmaster Generalship, where he introduced a prepaid postage system featuring adhesive postage stamps in 1847. He managed oversight of the Baltimore–Washington telegraph line but faced challenges with its financial viability amid increasing private sector competition. Concerned that unchecked private control could damage the Post Office and concentrate information power unfairly, he pushed for regulatory measures, though these efforts encountered opposition within his own party.
Subsequently, Johnson served as a state circuit court judge and was president of the Third Bank of Tennessee from 1854 to 1860. During the secession crisis, he aligned with Southern Unionists seeking to maintain Tennessee’s allegiance to the Union while opposing military action against the Confederacy. After failing to avert secession, he supported the Confederacy politically but did not take up arms. When Union forces took control of Clarksville following the Battle of Fort Donelson, Johnson acted as a local representative welcoming them. In 1866, he was elected to the Tennessee Senate but was prevented from assuming office by Republican factions. He passed away later that year in Tennessee.
Personal life
In 1815, Johnson proposed marriage to Elizabeth Dortch, who declined; this rejection led him to abstain from romantic pursuits for more than two decades. He renewed his proposal in 1838 after Dortch became widowed; she accepted, and they had three sons together. Johnson was also the maternal uncle of Lt. Col. Cave Johnson Couts from California.