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Sir John Johnson

Sir John Johnson, soldier, Loyalist, public servant (born 5 November 1742 near Amsterdam, New York; died 4 January 1830 at Mount Johnson, near Montreal). Johnson was a prominent Loyalist who led the King’s Royal Regiment of New York during the American Revolution. After the war, he served as superintendent of the British Indian Department. Johnson also helped resettle Loyalists along the upper St Lawrence River and the Bay of Quinte.

Sir John Johnson

John Johnson was the son of Sir William Johnson and heir to the Johnson family's massive Mohawk Valley estates. With the outbreak of the American Revolution, he moved to Montreal and organized and commanded the two battalions of King's Royal Regiment of New York, a Loyalist Provincial corps.

In March 1782, Johnson was appointed to command the British Indian Department, a position he held until 1828. He assisted in resettling the Loyalists, especially along the upper St Lawrence and the Bay of Quinte. Appointments to the legislative councils of Quebec in 1787 and Lower Canada in 1796 followed. During the War of 1812, he commanded the Six Township Battalions of Quebec Militia.

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