Napoleon B. Johnson


Napoleon Bonaparte Johnson (more often written as either N. B. Johnson or Napoleon B. Johnson) was born on January 17, 1891, in Maysville, Oklahoma (then in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory). He moved to Talequah, where he lived from 1893 to 1896, before moving to Anadarko in 1896. He moved to Claremore in 1905, which he called home most of his life. [1] His formal education ended with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree at Cumberland University. By 1920, he was the attorney for Rogers County, Oklahoma. Little has been written detailing his legal career before 1948, when he was appointed as a justice of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court.

The biographical sketch written by Harlow in 1930 noted of Johnson's interest in tribal and educational affairs.

Early years

Johnson was educated in the Anadarko schools, Mary Gregory Presbyterian Mission, Eastern University Prep School, Henry Kendall College (later renamed as the University of Tulsa), where he spent two years. Then he went to Cumberland University, where he earned the LL.B. degree. Johnson worked for the U.S. Indian Service in 1913-17, then became Assistant County Attorney for Rogers County, Oklahoma in 1923-25, then County Attorney 1925-28.[1]

Harlow's biographical sketch noted that Johnson attended tribal meetings at Talequah and "...takes unusual interest in tribal affairs and educational work for Indians."[1]

In 1920, N. B. Johnson was listed as a Democrat and County Attorney for Rogers County, Oklahoma.[1] p.717.

Indian activism

Although Johnson was a member of the Cherokee tribe, his views about the organization needed to cope with the massive Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) extended much farther than a single tribe. In 1944, he was elected as the first president of a new organization, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). About 80 delegates from 50 tribes and associations in 27 states came together at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado, on November 15, 1944. The delegates then created ten permanent committees and elected an executive council, consisting of four officers and eight councilmen. By November 18, the council had passed 18 resolutions that concerned three main topics: (1) sovereignty, (2) civil rights and (3) political recognition for all Indians. These became the platform NCAI would address during the coming year.[2]

Within a year, NCAI claimed to have over 300 members, from nearly every tribe in the U,S.[2] Johnson served as president until 1952. He reportedly died in 1974.[3]

Oklahoma Supreme Court Scandal

There had been whispers and grumblings about alleged corruption of the state court system for several years, yet no action to stop or even seriously investigate the allegations had been taken. In 1960, one young attorney became so incensed about the situation, he even openly charged a prominent Oklahoma City attorney with paying a bribe to a justice, in return for a favorable judgement.[4][lower-alpha 1]

On December 9, 1964, former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, N. S. Corn, then 80 years old and serving an 18-month sentence in a federal prison for income tax evasion, gave a sworn statement to the government detailing his involvement in the crime of bribery. The document named two other Supreme Court justices, Napoleon B. Johnson and Earl Welch, plus several other people as also participating in the scheme.[lower-alpha 2] Corn also admitted that he could not recall failing to receive a bribe in any of the 24 years he had served on the court.[4] Ten days later, Corn was freed early.[5]

One copy of Corn's affidavit was sent to Federal Judge Stephen Chandler. Simply having Corn's affidavit in hand was not enough to start a battle for reform. Chandler then called one of the most recently-elected Supreme Court judges, William H. Berry, for a private meeting at Chandler's home, where Berry read the document and agreed that somehow the document must be made public. With Chandler's agreement, Berry contacted Oklahoma County Representative, G. L. Blankenship, who was appalled by what the document revealed.[lower-alpha 3] Berry assured Blankenship that if he would read Corn's affidavit aloud from the House floor, he (Blankenship) would be protected by legislative immunity and could not be sued. The representative agreed to do this.[4]

After the legislature reconvened in January, 1965, Blankenship asked for the floor and began to speak. Apparently, the subject was still a well kept secret. The House remained in absolute silence throughout the speech. The stunned Democratic members began to shout cries of "Politics!" But the press reported the entire story to the public and would not let go. The Oklahoman printed a stirring editorial about how the state needed to reform the way judges were elected.[lower-alpha 4] So many powerful politicians believed that they had greatly benefitted from the status quo, that many people expected serious retribution against Blankenship. Governor Henry Bellmon ordered the State Board of Investigation to sweep the legislator's house for electronic eavesdropping devices, thinking that the opposition would likely try to destroy his credibility. He was also warned to go straight home every night after work - no stops for drinks or dinner at bars and restaurants for the same reason.[4]

On March 9, 1965, Justice Johnson took a lie detector examination concerning the allegation that he received $7,500 in return for a favorable ruling in an Oklahoma Supreme Court case. He failed the test. Following that, the Oklahoma State House of Representatives passed the bills of impeachment against him. The Oklahoma State Senate convicted Johnson, automatically removing him from office and ending his judicial career.[6]

After Johnson's conviction, Justice Berry wrote a book, Justice for Sale: The Shocking Scandal of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, detailing his views of the scandal. In it, he placed much of the blame on the system Oklahoma used for selecting judges, especially those trying to become appellate judges. Berry called the old system, in which bribes were simply passed off as "campaign contributions," "...a scandal waiting to happen." Burck Bailey, president of the Oklahoma Bar Association, said in a 1988 address to the OBA:"The villain in this sordid affair may be the method used in Oklahoma to fill judicial office.... The potential for corruption is inherent in the system. These payoffs, (as claimed by Cargill and Corn) were simply ‘campaign contributions’."[7]

Personal

Napoleon B. Johnson married Martha Lee Webber. The couple had one child, a daughter. He adhered to the Presbyterian faith, and belonged to the Masons, the American Legion, and the Chamber of Commerce.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ This may have referred to the case of attorney, , who alleged that the corrupt attorney was O. A. Cargill and the receiver of the bribe was Justice Corn. The attorney was swiftly disbarred in Oklahoma. He had to move to Texas to resume practicing law.[4]
  2. ↑ Two other powerful political figures named by Corn were O. A. Cargill, Sr., formerly mayor of Oklahoma City and J. D. McCarty, three-term speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[5]
  3. ↑ Blankenship happened to be the first Republican elected from Oklahoma County since 1928.[4]
  4. ↑ As Oklahoma City Attorney, Bob Burke said many years later, "The cat was out of the bag."[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Harlow, Victor Emmanuel. "Rogers County." Makers of Government in Oklahoma. p. 720. Harlow Publishing Co. 1930. Accessed June 22, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "The Founding Meeting of NCAI." National Congress of American Indians. Accessed June 24, 2018.
  3. ↑ National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). "U.S. Native American Nations." Listing of all Indian nations by state -undated. Accessed October 2, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Schaefer, Ralph. "Judiciary’s dark days recalled." Wagoner County American-Tribune. December 12, 2012. Accessed June 22, 2018
  5. 1 2 O'Hern, Linda Burkett. "Supreme Court Scandal Examined." NewsOK. February 23, 1967. Accessed June 22, 2018.
  6. ↑ "This month in OK History." March 9, 2017 Accessed June 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ [http:// www.okbar.org/members/Members/PresidentsMessage/January2016.aspx Isaacs, Garvin A. "Will We Let History Repeat Itself?" Oklahoma Bar Journal. January 16, 2016.] Accessed June 23, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.