ROYAL A. JOHNSON
History of Arizona, 1898

Royal A. Johnson, is the efficient Treasurer of Pima 
County, Arizona and a resident of Tucson.  He is a 
product of Whiteside County, Illinois, born in the 
year 1854, and was a resident of that county until 
1860 when he accompanied his parents to Colorado.  
Three years later he moved with them to New York City 
and made his home there until 1871, when he went to 
Europe and spent two years in England and France.  
In the year 1873 he returned to the United States 
and in the latter part of that year he went to Venezuela 
in connection with the construction of the Caracas and 
La Guaria Railroad and there remained seven months.  
After returning to the Empire State he entered his 
father's law office with the intention of practicing 
that profession in New York, associated with his 
father, but during the great excitement attending 
the Hayes-Tilden election he became imbued with a 
desire to mingle in politics and in the latter part 
of 1877 he  secured the appointment as clerk of the 
United States Senate Committee on civil service, 
which played so prominent a part in Hayes' 
administration.  When the control of the Senate 
passed into Democratic hands Mr. Johnson resigned 
his position and entered the Columbian Law University, 
at Washington, D.C., graduating in 1881 with the 
degree of LL.D.  The year previous to this the 
Republicans again secured control of the United 
States Senate and Mr. Johnson was appointed clerk 
of the Committee on Pensions, one of the most 
important committees in the Senate.   While holding 
this position Mr. Johnson was offered the law 
clerkship of the Interior Department, but declined 
the same to come to Arizona, believing that this 
Territory presented a great field for a young man.  
Soon after locating in Tucson he was offered and 
accepted the chief clerkship of the Surveyor-General's 
office under General Robbins, intending ultimately 
to resign and practice law.  After the death of 
General Robbins, President Arthur appointed Mr. 
Johnson Surveyor-General, which position he held 
until the Cleveland administration, after which he 
retired from office and in connection with ex-Governor 
Wolfley, purchased the Arctic Ice Company Works at 
Tucson.

In the year 1888 he was elected Chancellor of the 
University of Arizona but after his second appointment 
as United States Surveyor-General in 1889, the Attorney-
General of the United States rendered a decision to the 
effect that he could not hold both offices and he 
resigned the Chancellorship.  After the election of 
President Harrison, General Johnson was once more 
appointed Surveyor-General for Arizona.  The principal 
work of importance in the office of Surveyor General of 
Arizona has always been in the private Land Grant 
Department, and at this work General Johnson has 
particularly distinguished himself.  Not long after 
his first term an effort was made to float the Presidio 
Grant over the city of Tucson, which caused 
consternation to property holders.  By energetic and 
intelligent work the Surveyor-General was able to 
unravel the mysteries and uncertainties surrounding 
this case and caused the claimant to abandon his 
original intentions.  In many cases General Johnson 
went into the field in person with the claimants and 
by practical demonstration showed them the futility 
of their absurd claims to enlarge boundaries, but his 
principal work has been the showing up of the famous 
Perlta Grant fraud, which was forged for the purpose 
of securing five million acres of our forest lands, 
conservatively estimated to be worth at least 
$1000,000,000.  Several years were spent by him in 
this work, and evidence was secured from Spain, 
Mexico and elsewhere, showing forgery and fabrication 
of papers with great cunning and General Johnson's 
report to Congress is regarded as the ablest private 
land grant report ever made on Mexican Claims and 
completely wiped out the fraud that hung as a heavy 
cloud over the titles of the four counties, Maricopa, 
Pinal, Gila and Graham.  He held the position of 
Surveyor-General until March 4, 1893, the day President 
Cleveland took his seat and afterwards gave his time 
and attention to his ice factory and to stock raising.

In the fall of 1894 he was elected Treasurer of pima 
County and this office he is now filling. Mr. Johnson's 
ice factory has a capacity of manufacturing ten tons per 
day. He is also engaged in mining and is interested in a 
number of mines.  He was one of the organizers of the 
Phoenix "Republican" and a stockholder and he is also a 
stockholder in the "Daily Tucson Citizen."

On the 14th of February 1877, he married Miss Frances 
Morrison, of Brooklyn New York.

USGenWeb Project NOTICE: 
In keeping with our policy of providing free information 
on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as
long as this message remains on all copied material. These 
electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for
profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. 

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must 
obtain express written permission from the author, or 
the submitter and from the 
listed USGenWeb Project archivist. 

submitted by burns@asu.edu