Daniel H. Johnson is a former assistant

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

and a veteran of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who received the

Navy and Marine Corps Medal The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The medal was established by an act of Congr ...

for saving the life of a crewmate on the USS ''Blue Ridge'' in 1999. As a result of that incident, both of Johnson's legs were

amputated Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indivi ...

below the knee. In 2007, Johnson resigned as a Wake County prosecutor, moved back to his hometown of

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

, and announced that he would run for election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

North Carolina's 10th congressional district The 10th congressional district of North Carolina is a congressional district in central and western North Carolina. It currently includes all of Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Polk, and Rutherford counties, and part of Catawba, Iredell, and B ...

. He lost to incumbent Rep.

Patrick McHenry Patrick Timothy McHenry (born October 22, 1975) is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the cities of Hickory and Mooresville. McHenry was a member of the North Carolina ...

on November 4, 2008. In 2009, he opened a solo criminal defense practice in Raleigh. He later formed a new firm, Willis, Johnson and Nelson.

Military service

After graduating from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, Johnson began his service as an officer in the United States Navy. On August 23, 1999, while serving aboard U.S.S. Blue Ridge near

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, Johnson risked his own life to save a fellow serviceman. Both survived, but Johnson lost both of his legs below the knee. For his bravery, Johnson received the

, the second highest peacetime medal for heroism. Johnson is a member of

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

Post 48.

Early career

After recovering from his injuries, Johnson worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator

Max Cleland Joseph Maxwell Cleland (August 24, 1942 – November 9, 2021) was an American politician from Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a disabled U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star fo ...

of Georgia. Johnson then enrolled in law school at UNC, where he met his wife, Creecy. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in Wake County, North Carolina, and quickly worked his way up from handling misdemeanor DWI cases to felony assignments, including drug trafficking, robbery, and murder. In 2007–2008, Johnson was an attorney at Sigmon, Clark, Mackie, Hutton, Hanvey & Ferrell, P.A. in his hometown of Hickory. He and his wife were members of the First Presbyterian Church of Hickory, where his father has been the senior minister for eighteen years. Daniel and Creecy's daughter, Bowen, was born in 2008.

Congressional campaign

Daniel Johnson announced in late 2007 his run for Congress, and was able to raise more than $123,000 in campaign funds during the fourth quarter of 2007, an amount the ''

Hickory Daily Record ''Hickory Daily Record'' is an American, English language daily newspaper based in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. It is owned by Lee Enterprises and is published seven days a week. The newspaper is a member of the North Carolina Press Associati ...

'' termed "competitive." Johnson won the May 6, 2008 Democratic

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

with approximately 60 percent of the vote. The

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...

added Johnson to its "Red to Blue" program in September 2008, indicating confidence that Johnson had momentum and could win in November. The ''

'' endorsed Johnson on October 31, writing, "We need independent-thinking candidates who will not be guided by their own political aspirations."

References

External links

Campaign site

Hickory Navy hero weighs congressional run

* ttp://extras.denverpost.com/scolumns/kens0108.htm One Heel's hero
Johnson, Cumpsty Receive Distinguished Young Alumnus Awards

George Will: Where honor and responsibility still exist

News & Observer profile

Congressional Candidate Daniel Johnson Says the Public Is Tired of Bickering, Wants Solutions

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, D Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni American amputees United States Navy officers North Carolina lawyers American prosecutors American Presbyterians North Carolina Democrats American politicians with disabilities Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Candidates in the 2008 United States elections American lawyers with disabilities