John Frederick Johnston

John Frederick Johnston (16 July 1876 – 9 May 1948) was a Canadian politician.

Background Johnston was born to a wealthy family in Bogarttown, Ontario that owned lumber and flour mills in Simcoe County.

He moved to Saskatchewan in 1905 and ultimately settled on a farm near Bladworth, Saskatchewan. In addition to his farm, he owned a lumberyard and hardware store in town and developed a string of general stores in the region. The Liberals lost seats in the election but stayed in power leading a minority government. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King convinced Johnston to cross the floor and join the Liberals in early 1926 in an attempt to buttress his government's support. He was re-elected as a Liberal in the 1926 federal election and, in December 1926, became Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.

Johnston was defeated in the 1930 federal election by his Conservative opponent and returned to the farm. He was again elected to parliament in the 1935 federal election, this time in the riding of Lake Centre but was defeated in the 1940 federal election by John Diefenbaker of the Tories.

Johnston was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Mackenzie King in 1943 and sat in the upper house until his death in 1948.