Johnson Baronets

Johnson Baronets

There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Johnson, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. As of 2010 one creation is extant, one dormant and one extinct.

The Johnson Baronetcy, of New York in North America, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 27 November 1755 for the soldier William Johnson. A descendant of the O'Neill dynasty, his family name was originally MacShane (Irish: Mac Seáin), of which Johnson is a translation. The baronetcy was awarded for his victories at Crown Point and the Battle of Lake George earlier that year. His son, the second Baronet, was a loyalist leader during the American Revolution. Two other members of the family may also be mentioned. Guy Johnson, nephew of the first Baronet, was a distinguished soldier. John Ormsby Johnson, son of Colonel Charles Christopher Johnson, seventh son of the second Baronet, was a Vice-Admiral.

The Johnson Baronetcy, of Bath, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 1 December 1818 for Henry Johnson, a Colonel in the 5th Regiment and Governor of Ross Castle. He was the younger brother of Sir John Johnson-Walsh, 1st Baronet, of Ballykilcavan (see Johnson-Walsh Baronets). The second Baronet fought with distinction in the Peninsular War. The fourth Baronet was a Brigadier-General in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The presumed seventh Baronet never successfully established his claim to the title and was never on the Official Roll of the Baronetage. Likewise, as of 13 June 2007 the presumed eighth Baronet has not successfully proven his succession and is not on the Official Roll of the Baronetage, with the baronetcy dormant since 1986. For more information, follow this link.

Two other members of the family may also be mentioned. Sir Charles Cooper Johnson, sixth son of the second Baronet, was a General in the British Army. His son Eliot Philipse Johnson was a Brigadier-General in the British Army. The latter was the father of the presumed seventh Baronet.

The Johnson Baronetcy, of Dublin, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 24 November 1909 for the Irish lawyer and politician William Moore Johnson. The title became extinct on his death in 1919.