Johnson County was named in 1843 for Richard M. Johnson, a native of Kentucky who served as U.S. Vice-President from 1837 to 1841, as a U.S. Representative from 1807 to 1819 and again from 1829 to 1837, and as a U.S. Senator from 1819 to 1829, and who was an intimate of President Jackson. His tactics as Colonel of Kentucky Mounted Riflemen during the War of 1812 won the Battle of the Thames and earned him the title “Father of American Cavalry.” Johnson County was formed from parts of Lawrence, Floyd, and Morgan Counties.