Party when the Whig Party collapsed in the mid-1850s. However, his political beliefs remained close to that of Henry Clay and in August 1859 he was elected to a two-year term as the Representative for Nelson County to the Kentucky House of Representatives. In addition to his political and business ventures, Johnson continued to invest in property in and around New Haven and by 1860 he had built two large liquor warehouses along Center Street for storage of his wares. By this time, his net worth was over $60,000 (). The arrival of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1857 resulted in a drop in the cost of shipping and also freed Johnson's business from dependence upon seasonal riverboat traffic. The resultant savings was significant enough that in 1858 he began construction of a new home and office building, which was completed in 1861. During that same year, Johnson took on a business partner, John D. Boles, and founded Johnson & Boles. Johnson's election to the House of Representatives came at a turbulent time. The nation was struggling with the issue of slavery in the admission of new states. Kentucky was not immune to the politics of abolition and secession. As a businessman, slave owner, and right-of-center Democrat, Johnson clung to his belief in the Union. One of the actions he undertook in the State House of Representatives was to ask the House to allow Reverend Dr. James Craik, Rector of Christ Church in Louisville, to give a discourse on the history and value of the American Union. The most important action to occur during Johnson's tenure in the House was the vote on secession and neutrality in 1861. This exposure to the politics in Frankfort so upset him that he never again ran for public office but instead worked as a member of the Nelson County Democratic Committee. Later life The American Civil War hampered growth of his business. Although he continued to operate his warehouses and sales, the threat of Confederate raiders disrupted railroad traffic in the area and made it difficult to ship goods. Johnson was an astute businessman and attempted to remain above the politics of the time. On September 23, 1862, he hosted Colonel Joseph Wheeler and his staff for breakfast during the brief Confederate occupation of New Haven. Although he continued to make money during the war, its end finally resulted in the loss