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<em>John Alexander Johnston</em>, who graduated in the class of 1879 of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was born in Pennsylvania in 1858. He came of an old and distinguished family, members of which had fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.</p>
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After graduating at West Point, General Johnston had a distinguished and varied career. He was a man of very charming personality, distinguished in appearance, cultured, and able not only in his military service but also in civic and business activities.</p>
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His first service was in the Cavalry along the Rio Grande River, where he was engaged in scouting and escort duties in connection with the occasional outbreaks of hostile Indians and Mexican renegades. After eight years of this life, he went to West Point, where he served as an instructor in various academic subjects and in the Department of Tactics, for four years. After rejoining his regiment in South Dakota, in 1891, he was detailed on duty in Washington, D. C., in connection with ceremony of inaugurating President Cleveland in March, 1893.</p>
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He seems to have shown some special ability for organization along this line, for he subsequently had the same duties in connection with the inauguration of President McKinley in 1897 and again in 1901. He also performed the same kind of service in connection with the dedication of General Grant’s tomb. He organized President Roosevelt’s inaugural parade In 1905, and that of President Taft in 1909.</p>
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After going through the various grades in the Cavalry to that of Captain, he was appointed Major and Assistant Adjutant General in 1898. In this capacity he was in charge of the the organization and muster in and out of the volunteer forces during the war with Spain and again for the Philippine Insurrection. Later, he had similar duties in connection with the enlargement of the regular army in 1901. As Lieut. Colonel and Asst. Adjutant General he accompanied Generals Corbin, Young, and Wood as guests of the Emperor of Germany during the maneuvers of 1902, and it was he who prepared their report on these maneuvers.</p>
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Lieut. Colonel Johnston was appointed Brigadier General, U. S. Army, in January 1903, and resigned his commission a few weeks later.</p>
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General Johnston then took up many civic activities. He made his home in Washington, D. C. He became a director in several business corporations. He organized the parade in dedication of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1903. He was chairman of the International Advisory Council of the Y. M. C. A. for the West Indies.</p>
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In 1910, he became a Commissioner of the District of Columbia for three years. When the Great War came in 1917, General Johnston was re-commissioned as Brigadier General and commanded the Northeast Department until June, 1918, when he was given command of the 68th Brigade, 34th Division, and commanded this division from July 4 to November 18, 1918, in the A. E. F., in France, although this division saw no fighting, having been used as a replacement division. After the Armistice, General Johnston was given several duties until he returned to the United States, where he ended his military services in command of the 153rd Depot Brigade, January to February 5, 1919, at which date he was honorably mustered out. For his services in France he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and a French decoration.</p>
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General Johnston continued to live in Washington, D. C. until his death on January 5, 1940. He was always very interested in and loyal to his Alma Mater, the United States Military Academy, and was largely responsible for the installation of the Chapel organ which has meant so much to the Academy. He was a most popular host in his own home. Charming, kindly, and helpful to all who asked his aid, he was also most interesting in conversation concerning his long and varied experiences. As an Adjutant General in the War Department, he was known as particularly sympathetic and helpful toward young officers who made proper requests for assignments or duties applicable to their special cases. He was a gentleman of the old school and beloved by his many friends, high and low, in military and civil life.</p>
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General Johnston married the former Miss Henrietta V. Vandergrift in 1888. She died in 1930, and he married his second wife, Mrs. Z. M. Barnes, in 1932.</p>
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