Harry McClure Johnson

Harry McClure Johnson (May 13, 1886 – March 29, 1932) was an American lawyer and explorer. He practiced law in Chicago with the firm Offield, Bulkley, Poole, and Scott. Johnson served as the chronicler for the 1910 expedition to the summit of Crown Mountain, which contributed to the establishment of the provincial park system in British Columbia.

Early life and education Johnson was born on May 13, 1886, in Peoria, Illinois. Johnson's father, Albert Tilford Johnson, was the founder and president of Peoria’s principal banking house, in 1907, delivering the Latin salutatory address at commencement on June 12. Johnson received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Northwestern University Law School in 1910.

Military life Johnson participated in two military training camps for civilians in 1915 and 1916. The following year, a major surgical operation meant he was unable to serve in the military until late 1918, when he was appointed the position of first lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in the quartermaster general's office in Washington, D.C. After the Armistice and during the years 1919 and 1920, he was engaged as counsel in the Legal Department of the United States Emergency Fleet Corporation in Philadelphia. Following his departure from the army, Johnson worked as an assistant counsel for the Emergency Fleet Corporation construction division in Philadelphia for over a year. Later, he practiced law on the Pacific Coast in British Columbia and California.

Legal career On December 23, 1910, Johnson was admitted to practice law after taking the Illinois bar examination. He made his home in Winnetka, Illinois, in Cook County, 16 miles north of Chicago.

Personal life Johnson married Helena Modjeska Chase of Omaha, Nebraska, on June 30, 1923, in Ashokan, New York. At that time, Chase divided her time between New York and Omaha, and was active in North Shore art circles. After their marriage, the couple moved to Winnetka, Illinois. They had five children together:

Mansi McClure Johnson (1924–2013) Harry McClure Johnson (1925–2007) Elizabeth McIlvaine Johnson (born 1926) Sarah Jane McClure Johnson (1929–2013) Priscilla McClure Johnson (1931–2017)

Johnson died on March 29, 1932, at the age of 46 in Toronto, Ontario, while visiting his mother, Elizabeth “Gaga” Breading McIlvaine Johnson. He had been in poor health for two years before his death, Johnson was the expedition's unofficial chronicler, assisting Price Ellison, the Minister of Crown Lands, while also contributing to college periodicals at Princeton during the exploration.

The team of explorers (including Johnson) left the town of Campbell River, British Columbia, and traveled inland along the Campbell River to Upper Campbell Lake. Later, a party of eight scaled the Crown Mountain (Vancouver Island, British Columbia), and its peak was later named after Myra King Ellison, a member of the party and Johnson's cousin. Following the ascent, the party continued its exploration of the surrounding lakes, rivers and valleys, crossed the divide and descended to the western sea down Buttle Lake in British Columbia, up to Price Creek, and wound up at the Port Alberni.

After climbing Crown Mountain, Johnson wrote about encouraging American tourist groups, mountain climbers, and Canadian clubs to visit many of the big cities in the United States. boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; 1= 1. Harry McClure Johnson (1886-1932) 2= 2. Albert Tilford Johnson (1851-1916) 3= 3. Elizabeth Breading McIlvaine (1858-1950 4= 4. John Johnson (1828-1857) 5= 5. Anna Matilda Anderson (1829-1905) 6= 6. George Hogg McIlvaine (1834-1897) 7= 7. Priscilla Jane McClure (1834-1913) 10= 10. Pehr Andersson (1797-1847) 11= 11. Kerstin Olofsdotter (1798-1849) 12= 12. William Brown McIlvaine (1807-1892) 13= 13. Elizabeth Breading (1810-1850) 14= 14. Josiah Espy McClure (1798-1899) 15= 15. Jane Dickson (1806-1842)