William Johnston, Jr.

William Johnston Jr. (19 October 1861 - 19 February 1933) was an American military officer who served with distinction in the Philippine-American War and the First World War.

William Hartshorne Johnston Jr. was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to William Hartshorne Johnston and Mary Neele Johnston. Johnston attended Washington University in St. Louis from 1876 to 1879.He received his LL.B. from the school in 1897, having completed his coursework while he was serving in the Army.

Militia service

Johnston enlisted in the Lafayette Guard in St. Louis in 1878, rising to the rank of sergeant before moving to Prescott, Arizona in 1881. There, he obtained a commission as a first lieutenant in the Arizona Territorial Militia and served with them until 1882, when he was commissioned into the 16th Infantry Regiment.

Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War

Having graduated with honors from the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1887, Johnston served with the 46th U.S. Volunteer Infantry as a major. Following the conflict, Johnston was mustered out of service and appointed military governor of Isabela Province in the Philippine island of Luzon, post which he held from 1901 to 1902. During the Philippine-American War, Johnston commanded the First Battalion of Philippine Scouts from 1904-1906 during the campaign against the Pulajanes, for which he would be awarded a silver star. He returned to the U.S. in 1907 to attend the Army War College until 1908.

First World War

William Johnston participated as a member of the General Staff at the Army War College from 1914 to 1917. Following the U.S. entry into the First World War, Johnston, now a brigadier general, "organized, trained and took to France the 180th (Texas) Infantry Brigade (AEF)" Arriving in August 1918, the 180th was stationed in the Toul Sector as part of the 90th Infantry Division, 1st U.S. Army Corps, under the command of King Albert I of Belgium. Johnston would spend little time with the 180th in France, however, as he was soon assigned to command the 91st Division. Under Johnston's command, the 91st Division would take part in the St. Mihiel offensive, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, for which he'd be awarded both a Distinguished Service Cross and a Distinguished Service Medal, and the Ypres-Lys campaign, once more under overall command of King Albert. For his leadership in the war, Johnston would be awarded the Commander of the Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre with Palm, Commander of Order of Leopold I and the Victory Medal.

Inter-war years

Following the end of the First World War, Johnston and the 91st Division were demobilized. Johnston returned briefly to the Army War College's General Staff before deploying once more to Germany in 1920 as part of the American forces occupying Germany. Over the next three years, Johnston would play key roles in the occupying force, as Chief of Staff of American Forces in Germany until 1921, commanding officer of the 1st Brigade until 1922 and as general liaison officer to the French Army of the Rhine until 1923.

Johnston returned to the U.S. in 1923 to command the Fourth Coastal Artillery District at Fort McPherson, Georgia. The following year, he commanded the 3rd Infantry Division until his retirement in 1925.

William Johnston Jr. married Lucille Barat Wilkinson in 1888, but was widowed in 1917 following her death. He remarried in 1923 to Isabelle Gros, and retired in Nice, where he remained until his death in 1933.