Johnson, Tom Loftin (1854-1911)

US businessman, representative, and mayor. He made a fortune from the steel business during the 1880s. After the great flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889, he gained national attention by directing relief efforts. He served two terms in the US House of Representatives (Democrat, Ohio) 1891-95 where he supported free trade. He then served four terms as mayor of Cleveland 1902-08, where he battled for municipal reform.

Although some regarded his reforms as radical, most Americans respected them as a model of good government for cities, and Johnson's reputation would survive his premature death.

He was born near Georgetown, Kentucky. Moving about the South during the US Civil War, he had little formal education. Settling in Louisville, Kentucky, he worked for a street railway and invented the first farebox for coins. As mayor of Cleveland, he improved the services available to the city's poor, started sanitary measures, and encouraged civic spirit. He also fought for home rule and more equitable taxation, for public ownership of utilities, and for public works and social services.