Sir William Johnson
Johnson, Sir William (1715–1774), an American colonist. Largely through his efforts, the Iroquois Indians remained loyal to the British in King George's War (1744–48) and the French and Indian War (1754–60). Johnson was born in Ireland. In 1738 he became an Indian trader in New York. In 1755 Johnson was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs in the northern colonies. As a major general he received the French surrender of Fort Niagara in 1759 and accompanied the expedition that captured Montreal in 1760.
Johnson lived in the Mohawk Valley. His son Sir John Johnson (1742–1830) was a loyalist in the Revolutionary War. The family's lands were confiscated after the war.