Harry McClure Johnson

Harry McClure Johnson (May 13, 1886 – March 29, 1932) was a Chicago lawyer and member of the law firm Offend, Bulkley, Poole, and Scott. He was the son of one of the oldest families of Illinois^[1], and the journal chronicler in the first expedition to the top of Crown Mountain, which brought about British Columbia's provincial park system in July 1910.^[2][3]

Johnson was born on May 13, 1886, in Peoria, Illinois.^[4][5] Johnson's father, Albert Tilford Johnson,^[6]was the founder and president of Peoria’s principal banking house.^[1] His mother, Elizabeth Breading McIlvaine Johnson,^[6] was a high school teacher.^[5] His siblings were Albert Tilford Johnson Jr. and Elizabeth Johnson. He was also the nephew of the Hon. Price Ellison,^[6] newspaper owner and minister of crown lands in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada.^[7][2]

Johnson graduated from Peoria High School second in the class of 1903.^[8][4] He was recognized for general excellence in history, politics, and economics, at Princeton University^[9] in 1907,^[10][11] delivering the Latin salutatory address at commencement on June 12. Johnson received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Northwestern University Law School in 1910.^[12][13]

Johnson participated in two military training camps for civilians in 1915 and 1916. However, due to a major surgical operation in 1917, he was unable to serve in the military until late 1918 when he was granted the position of first lieutenant. He served in the quartermaster general's office in Washington, D.C. Following his departure from the army, Harry 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. Eventually, he established his headquarters in Chicago, where he practiced for more than a decade. He served in the United States Army in 1918. 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.^[14][15]

On December 23, 1910, Johnson was admitted to practice law after taking the Illinois bar examination.^[16] He made his home in Winnetka, Illinois, in Cook County 16 miles north of Chicago.^[4] Returning to practice in Chicago in 1921 he joined Offield, Mehlhope, Scott & Poole - the predecessor of the firm he partnered with around the time of his death.^[4]

Johnson married Helena Modjeska Chase, of Omaha, Nebraska, on June 30, 1923, in Ashokan, New York.^[17] At that time, Chase divided her time between New York and Omaha and was active in North Shore art circles.^[18] After their marriage, the couple moved to Winnetka.^[19] 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^[4][12] and died after a period of influenza which had developed into pneumonia.^[6]

When he was a life member of the Alpine Club of Canada, Johnson climbed Mount Robson and Mount Assiniboine in the Canadian Rockies.

In 1910, Johnson and 20 others went on an expedition to Vancouver Island, with a goal to find a potential for a park in the island center.^[20] Johnson served as the expedition's unofficial chronicler, assisting Price Ellison, the minister of crown lands, while also contributing to the college periodicals of Princeton during the exploration.^[10] Ellison's expedition journal describes encounters with mosquitoes, sand flies, snakes, blow-downs, steep trails, and tree roots, as well as the scenery. Some of the journal entries additionally featured nationalism, ethnic elitism, and pride in conquering nature.^[21]

The team of explorers (including Johnson) left the town of Campbell River, British Columbia, and traveled inland up the Campbell River to the Upper Campbell Lake. Later, the party of eight scaled the Crown Mountain (Vancouver Island, British Columbia), whose peak was then named after Myra King Ellison, a member of the party and Johnson's cousin.^[22] Following the ascent, the party continued down Butte Lake in British Columbia, up to Price Creek and wound up at the Port Alberni.^[1] The expedition trekked up the Campbell River, ascended Crown Mountain, explored the surrounding lakes, rivers and valleys, crossed the divide, descended to the western sea and reported to the legislature that it was suitable for being the province's first park. This was a time when most of the province was uninhabited wilderness.^[2] This expedition led to the 1911 opening of the first park in British Columbia called Strathcona Provincial Park, named after Lord Strathcona, the railway tycoon who drove the last spike for the Canadian Pacific Railway at Craigellachie.^[2][23]

On 7 August 1912 he and his cousin climbed Mount Little which is on the border between Alberta and British Columbia.^[23] He took many photos of these mountains.

After climbing Crown Mountain, Johnson worked hard to encourage American tourist groups, mountain climbers, and Canadian clubs to visit many of the big cities in the neighboring country. He was also featured in newspapers in the eastern and middle states.^[1]