Samuel Wistar Johnson, M. D.

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Samuel Wistar Johnson, M.D. Now settle in, because this man left his mark on more than one chapter of Texas history. Born in 1853, Samuel W.

Johnson was a Georgia native who set up his first medical practice in Atlanta. But Atlanta couldn't hold him. He made his way to Texas, settled in Corsicana, and built himself a reputation as a respected community physician.

The kind of doctor a town talks about. And apparently, Corsicana did more than talk, because in 1900 the people elected him mayor. Now, during his time in office, something happened that a lot of towns never quite manage.

A public library got established, and the marker makes a point of crediting the city's women's clubs for making that happen. Johnson was mayor, but those women did the work, and the story doesn't let you forget it. If that were the whole of it, you'd already have a full life.

But Johnson wasn't finished. He was also instrumental in the early oil industry right there in Corsicana. A physician with a hand in medicine, civic life, and oil.

That's a particular kind of Texas story. Then came grief. His first wife, Kate Beaton, died in 1904.

In 1910, he married Sarah Pace. That same year, he moved to Dallas. He died there in 1922.

And here's the detail that gives the whole story its quiet anchor: Samuel Wistar Johnson is buried in Corsicana's Oakwood Cemetery. The man moved on, more than once. But Corsicana kept him in the end.

What the marker says

(1853-1922) A native of Georgia, Samuel W. Johnson established his first medical practice in Atlanta. After moving to Texas and settling in Corsicana, he became a respected community physician and was elected mayor in 1900. During his term in office the public library was established, thanks to the efforts of the city's women's clubs. Johnson was also instrumental in the early oil industry in Corsicana. His first wife, Kate Beaton, died in 1904. In 1910 he married Sarah Pace. Johnson moved to Dallas in 1910 and died there in 1922. He is buried in Corsicana's Oakwood Cemetery.