Nate Johns

 is a minor, unseen character in Red Dead Redemption. He is the governor of the state of West Elizabeth.

Background
Nate Johns is referred to by Mrs. Ditkiss who was one of two women sitting behind John in the opening titles of the game and first cutscene in "Exodus in America." She believes that Nate Johns's family is "hillbilly trash that came here after the war." This could either be implying The Civil War or the Mexican-American War. He is then referred to by the other woman Mrs. Bush sitting behind Marston saying: "It seems that money CAN buy voters, though."

His story is told through the Blackwater Ledger. When first mentioned, he is merely a candidate. By 1914, he is implicated in several scandals and is vacationing far away from West Elizabeth. From what we see of Johns, he is not above unscrupulous practices like buying votes, manipulation and blackmail.

Interactions
Aside from a few references and playing a key background role in the Stranger side-mission "American Lobbyist", the player has no interaction with Johns.

Trivia

 * Nate Johns is referenced in the Stranger Side-mission "American Lobbyist". In this stranger mission, signs of his underhanded tactics are seen by using incriminating photographs to blackmail a challenging candidate. It appears later through the newspaper articles in 1914 that this continued but was ultimately his downfall.
 * He is one of the first characters named.
 * Nate's rival in the 1911 Governor elections, named in the second newspaper, was a Mr. Atkinson from Alabama. Alongside other scandals and controversies, Atkinson's chances were ruined by his failure to enforce racial segregation, treating blacks equal to whites in many situations.
 * Nate Johns is kicked out of his position as Governor soon after the events of "Remember My Family", poopas read in the last edition of the Blackwater newspaper, for moral indecency and blackmail, among other things.