Notable people · Mayor · Reformer
Tom L. Johnson
Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, Johnson moved to Cleveland in 1883, lived on Euclid Avenue's Millionaires' Row and was mayor 1901-1909. He died in Cleveland; burial is in Brooklyn, New York.
At a glance
- Born
- 1854-07-18
- Died
- 1911-04-10
- Education
- Little formal schooling (under one year)
- Known as
- Mayor, Reformer
- Organizations
- Cleveland city government
Life story
Tom Johnson was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, into a cotton-planting family whose money disappeared with the Civil War. By eleven he was selling newspapers on trains to help the household, and he had less than a year of formal schooling.
He learned the streetcar trade as a clerk in Louisville, bought into Indianapolis street railways in 1876, and built a fortune in transit and steel. In 1883 he moved to Cleveland and settled on Euclid Avenue.
After two terms in Congress (1891-1895) he was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1901 and served four terms. He is remembered for municipal reform and for fights with the city's streetcar company.
He lost the 1909 election and died in Cleveland in 1911. A 1993 panel of scholars ranked him the second-best big-city mayor in American history.
Timeline
- 1854-07-18: Born (Georgetown, KY) source
- 1869: Hired as a clerk in the Louisville streetcar business (Louisville, KY) source
- 1876: Bought a controlling share of Indianapolis street railways (Indianapolis, IN) source
- 1883: Moved to Cleveland and bought a Euclid Avenue mansion (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1890: Elected to the U.S. House from Ohio's 21st district (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1901: Elected mayor of Cleveland (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1909: Defeated for re-election after four terms (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1911-04-10: Died; buried at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn (Cleveland, OH) source
What Tom is known for
- Mayor of Cleveland 1901-1909
- Municipal reform; ranked second-best big-city mayor by a 1993 panel
- My Story (autobiography, 1913)
- Founded Municipal Light and Power Company
Honors and things named for them
- Ranked second-best big-city mayor by a 1993 scholars' panel
- Called 'the best Mayor of the best-governed city' by Lincoln Steffens
Family
- brother: Albert Johnson
Places in Ohio to see
- Euclid Avenue (Millionaires' Row) area where he lived (home)
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Cleveland · Cuyahoga County · official page
Ohio places
Where Tom L. Johnson was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Tom L. Johnson dates, mayoralty, residence, burial