Name William Johnson Role Artist | Period Harlem Renaissance | |
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Died April 13, 1970, Central Islip, New York, United States Artwork Going to Church, Street Musicians, I Baptize Thee Similar People Jacob Lawrence, Palmer Hayden, Romare Bearden, M C Escher, James Weldon Johnson | ||
Patrons Charles Webster Hawthorne | ||
Harlem renaissance william h johnson at the arlington museum of art
William Henry Johnson (circa 1835 – January 28, 1864) was a free African American, and the personal valet of Abraham Lincoln. Having first met Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, he accompanied the President-Elect to Washington, D.C. Once there, he was employed in various jobs, part-time as President's valet and barber, and as a messenger for the Treasury Department at $600 per year.
Contents
- Harlem renaissance william h johnson at the arlington museum of art
- Conservation of william h johnson s paintings
- Biography
- Smallpox
- Burial
- In popular culture
- References
Conservation of william h johnson s paintings
Biography
William Henry Johnson was born around 1835 at a site unknown. He began working for Abraham Lincoln, in Springfield, in early 1860.
Smallpox
On November 18, 1863, Johnson traveled by train with Lincoln to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. On the return trip, Lincoln became ill with what turned out to be smallpox. Johnson tended to him, and by January 12, 1864, was himself sick with the disease. Lincoln recovered, but by January 28, Johnson was dead.
Burial
Lincoln arranged for and paid for Johnson's burial in January 1864 and paid for his headstone. Burial records from the time were not well kept and at least three competing locations have been proposed for Johnson's grave. The most popular is a William H. Johnson who was buried in 1864 at Arlington National Cemetery, although his common surname makes a conclusive match impossible. Contrary to a popular myth though, Lincoln did not purchase the headstone that appears there now. Arlington ordered a new stone and inscribed on it Citizen, which was the label used to distinguish civilian graves from soldiers before Arlington became an exclusively military cemetery.
In popular culture
William H. Johnson was a character in the 2012 film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, played by actor Anthony Mackie. In the film, Lincoln and Johnson are portrayed as childhood friends. In the film's opening scene, a young Lincoln rushes to the aid of a young Johnson, who is being whipped by a slaver. Johnson then goes on to work in the Lincoln White House and assist President Lincoln in his fight against the vampiric forces of the Confederate Army.