Miss Edna L. Johnson. In no other field have woman’s work and influence proved such ennobling factors as in the sphere of education. The instruction and the character training of the children of Kansas are largely in the hands of devoted women, and many of the most responsible posts in the school system of the state are filled by woman teachers. The entire school system of Cowley County is under the supervision of Miss Edna L. Johnson, county superintendent of schools, and the people of the county recognize her unqualified fitness for the duties of the office.
Miss Johnson was first elected county superintendent in the fall of 1914 and was re-elected in 1916, so that she is now in her second term. She first took office May 10, 1915. Under her supervision are 137 schools, 166 teachers, and an enrollment of 3,350 scholars. Her office as county superintendent is in the courthouse at Winfield.
Miss Johnson had spent much of her life in Kansas, but was born near Danville, Illinois, daughter of Josiah Johnson and Emma (Mosier) Johnson, both of whom were born near Danville. In the Johnson lineage there is an admixture of Polish stock, and a number of generations back the family was connected with Count Sandusky’s relationship. The Johnsons were early settlers in this country and were pioneers in Kentucky. Josiah Johnson was born in 1847, was a farmer, and coming to Kansas in 1884 located at Maple City in Cowley County. Later he retired from the farm and spent his last years in Arkansas City, where he died in 1907. He was a republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His widow now lives at Arkansas City. Her children, four in number, are: Jessie, wife of Frank Lewis, a farmer near Silverdale, Kansas; Harley, connected with the United States Westher Bureau at Rapids City, South Dakota; Miss Edna L.; and Robert, who lives at Arkansas City but is a teacher at Winfield.
Miss Johnson was educated in the public schools of Arkansas City, being a graduate of the high school there. She began teaching in Cowley County and was constantly in the school room until her election to her present responsibilities. In politics she is affiliated with the republican party, and is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.