“Johnson Forever!” Revisiting a Hero of the Seven Years War

Authors

Mark Eaton, University of Western Ontario

Abstract

William Johnson moved to New York from his ancestral homeland Ireland in 1738 and soon became one of the most influential and prosperous colonists of his time. As a trader, land developer, speculator and government official, he co-operated extensively with the tribes of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Considered a fair and honest man by these people, Johnson developed close personal and economic relationships with many of them, especially within the Mohawk tribes. So when the British and French clashed between 1744 and 1748 (King George’s War), the New York colonial government turned to Johnson.

Recommended Citation

Eaton, Mark "“Johnson Forever!” Revisiting a Hero of the Seven Years War." Canadian Military History 11, 2 (2002)