Information from: History of Ross & Highland Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches by Williams Bros. publishers; W. W. Williams, Printer, Cleveland, Ohio, 1880. (Reprint: Evansville, IN: Unigraphic, Inc., 1978)

p. 402, Fairfield Twp., Highland Co.:
"'Governor' James Johnson came in 1812, from Botetourt (now Bedford) county, Virginia., and bought two to three hundred acres around the site of Leesburgh. By his first wife, who was a Mooreman, he had two children, neither of whom, however, were settlers in Fairfield. By his second wife, Penelope Ashley, he reared a large family, - John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Joseph, James, Jesse, Mary, Judith, Penelope (Burgess), Anthony, Agnes, and Rachel (Lupton). Jesse Johnson, who married Mary Burgess, was the father of Elias Johnson, of Leesburgh, Michal (Milner), Edna (Cox), and Mary (Grice), all of Fairfield township. Of "Governor" we shall have more to say in another department of this chapter."

p. 404, Fairfield Twp., Highland Co., section on Civil History: 1806 election - James Johnson, justice of the peace.
In 1807 the township trustees nominated 25 men to serve as grand jurors and a James Johnson was one of the names.
In 1807 and 1808 it appears that no jp's were elected, so possibly that means that they were elected for 3 year terms, since

p. 405 - 1809 - James Johnson, justice of the peace again no jp's given for the 1810 and 1811 elections.

p. 409 - Fairfield Twp., Highland Co., section on Leesburgh: "This is the largest village of the township and the oldest. The older part of the town was laid out by 'Governor' James Johnson, March 2, 1814. The plat extended from the present residence of H. R. Johnson to Jacob Hilliard's. On June 23, 1814, an addition was made extending west from Hilliard's to the residence of the late Colonel Sam Pike. ... The town plat, as constituted by 'Governor' James Johnson, has received several additions from time to time. ..."

I was kind of disappointed. After the p. 402 statement "Of "Governor" we shall have more to say in another department of this chapter." I expected to find something more than I did. Nothing explains why he is called "Governor" - although with the quotation marks, I assume he was never elected to that office. In 1811-1812, a James Johnson was elected State Representative from Highland Co.