James Johnston (Secretary of State)
| James Johnston | |
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James Johnston
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| Joint Secretary of State, Scotland | |
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In office 1692–1696 Serving with John Dalrymple |
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| Succeeded by | John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl |
| Envoy extraordinary to Prussia | |
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In office 1690–1692 |
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| Lord Clerk Register | |
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In office 1704–1705 |
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| Member of the House of Commons | |
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In office 1708–1710 |
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| Constituency | Ilchester |
| Member of the House of Commons | |
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In office 1710–1713 |
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| Constituency | Calne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | baptised: 9 September 1655 |
| Died | 3 May 1737 (aged 82) Bath, Somerset |
| Spouse(s) | Catharine Poulett Lucy Claxton |
James Johnston (baptised 9 September 1655 – 3 May 1737 Bath), was envoy extraordinary to Prussia 1690–92, Secretary of State, Scotland, 1692–96 and Lord Clerk Register 1704–05.
He was the fourth son of Lord Warriston, Archibald Johnston (1610–1663), who was executed by Charles II on 26 July 1663 for having served under Cromwell, and his second wife Helen, daughter of Alexander Hay, Lord Fosterseat.
James, with other members of his family, fled to the Dutch Republic after his father's death. He studied law in Utrecht and according to John Macky (writer and secret agent during the reigns of King William, Queen Anne and King George I), was most proficient.
He returned just before the Glorious Revolution of 1688, bringing William of Orange to England in the same year. After the accession of William, Johnston was sent to the Elector of Brandenburg with a gift of the Order of the Garter. On his return in 1692 he was appointed, with John Dalrymple, as Joint Secretary of State, Scotland.
Johnston was a dedicated Presbyterian and as such agitated for the empowerment of the commoners and their independence from the nobility.
In 1696 at Salisbury he married Catharine Poulett, third daughter of John, 2nd Baron Poulett by his first wife, Catharine née Vere. There were no surviving children.
In 1716 he married Lucy daughter of Thomas Claxton of Dublin, sister of Frances Countess of Rosse and Viscountess Jocelyn, sister of Mary Carter, cousin of Edward Lovett Pearce, cousin of Sir John Vanbrugh and great-granddaughter of Sir Dudley Carleton of Imber Court Surrey, nephew and heir of Viscount Dorchester.
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