as "the father of national Prohibition" for introducing the Eighteenth Amendment to the Senate. Following his Senate term, Johnston returned to Houston and resumed his role as editor of the Post. He retired from the newspaper business in 1919. In 1916, Johnston was elected to the Texas Senate, representing Houston. He served in office from January 9, 1917, to January 12, 1920, through the 35th and 36th sessions of the legislature. On March 27, 1918, Johnston was elected as President pro tempore of the Senate. During the 36th legislature, Johnston was chair of the Towns and City Corporations Committee and vice chair of the Public Printing Committee. He resigned his seat in 1920, having been appointed by Governor William P. Hobby as Chairman of the State Prison Commission. In a special election, Lynch Davidson, later a state Lieutenant Governor, won Johnston's former seat. A collection of Johnston's papers is held at Rice University in Houston. His name has also been given to Rienzi, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's house museum for European decorative arts. The house formerly belonged to Johnston's grandson, Harris Masterson III. Personal life Johnston married Mary E. Parsons in 1875, and they had three children. He died on February 28, 1926, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Houston. References External links Retrieved on 2008-02-14 Guide to the Rienzi Melville Johnston papers, 1899-1926 1849 births 1926 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American newspaper editors Democratic Party United States senators from Texas Democratic Party Texas state senators People from Sandersville, Georgia