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Wm. P. Johnson
WM. P. JOHNSON, the joint publisher and
Times and News, Gadsden, Ala., was born in Cherokee County, this State, March 14,
1855,
and is therefore at this writing less than thirty years of age. Mr. Johnson
entered upon the profession of the art preservative at the age of fourteen, and
has since followed it without intermission. His first work was on the
Advertiser
at Centre, Ala. In 1871 he
came with Mr. W.M. Weeks, to Gadsden. Ala., and was on the
Times
until 1876.
This year he concluded to try his fortune in the Lone Star
State, and made that his home for two years. During this time his life was
without incident, only as usually happens to the craft. The
love of the home of his youth
was an attraction so
strong, that he no longer resisted it, and returned in 1878 and resumed his
place on the Times,
which relation he
continued to sustain until 1881. He was for some time the foreman of that excellent paper
and its local editor, both of which places he filled to the eminent satisfaction
of all concerned. In the year 1880 he married one of the accomplished daughters
of Maj. W. P. Hollingsworth. He was fortunate in his marriage,
finding in his wife not only
a congenial companion, but one who had a just appreciation of his profession
and work, to which he proposes to devote his
life.
In January, 1881, Mr.
Johnson, in connection with Mr. Wellington Vandiver, established the
News.
Soon Mr. Vandiver retired,
leaving Mr. Johnson sole editor and proprietor. He was now in position to show
the world his tact and ability
in the conduct of a newspaper. Nobly did he meet
expectations, and even went beyond them. The News was an ably conducted, clean
and pure paper. Mr. Johnson gave it his entire time and attention, and put
it on a paying basis. Last February the
Times
and the
News were
consolidated, since which
time Mr. Johnson has been joint publisher and editor.
Mr. Johnson is a painstaking business man.
Seldom does an item of any kind go into his paper
which has not passed under his eye. He is a genial and pleasant companion, a
true and tried friend. He is prosperous so far as the world is concerned, and a
bright future awaits him.Source:
McCalley, Henry, Northern Alabama :
historical and biographical.
Birmingham, AL: Smith & De
Land, 1888, pp. 835.
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