John Anders Johnson
John Anders Johnson was a Norwegian American immigrant, businessman, and Republican politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, representing eastern Dane County.
Biography
Johnson was born in Telemark, Norway, on April 15, 1832, as the eldest of the five children of Anders Johnson and his wife, Aaste Killing Koven. His family immigrated to the United States in 1844, traveling via New York to reach Milwaukee. In 1852, the family to Pleasant Springs, Wisconsin. He married Karen Kristie Thompson in 1856. They had a daughter before her death in 1860. On October 31, 1861, Johnson married Kaia Nicoline Marie Kildahl. They had six children. He died of a stomach ulcer on November 10, 1901, and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery.Career
Johnson was a member of the Assembly in 1857. He served as Clerk of Dane County, Wisconsin, from 1861 to 1869. From 1873 to 1874, he was a member of the Senate. Other positions Johnson held include Town Clerk and Town Chairman of Pleasant Springs and justice of the peace.Outside politics Johnson owned Fuller & Johnson, a company that produced farm machinery, having previously been a farmer.