David Johnson (born 1950) was the Iowa State Senator from the 1st District and served as assistant minority leader. A former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and currently independent, he served in the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from 2003 to 2019 and served in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

from 1999 to 2003. He received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in History from

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

. Johnson served on several committees in the Iowa Senate – the Appropriations committee; the Education committee; the Human Resources committee; the Natural Resources committee; and the Agriculture committee, where he was the

ranking member In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as ''ex officio'' members ...

. He also served as the ranking member of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

2006 election

In his 2006 bid for re-election, Johnson received 12,328 votes (57%), defeating Democratic opponent Mel Berryhill.

Early life and education

Johnson was born and raised in

West Branch, Iowa West Branch is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, Cedar and Johnson County, Iowa, Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,509 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020, census. It is the birthplace of the only American presiden ...

, and graduated from West Branch High School. He then went on to obtain his B.A. in history from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Career

After graduating college, he went on three scientific expeditions. For all three trips to Antarctica and the Arctic, he was the camp manager. Outside politics, Johnson works on an Osceola County dairy farm. He then went on to become a newspaper publisher and editor where he won a number of awards for his work in journalism. For several years he served as president of the Chamber of Commerce. In July 2015, upon receiving an email from a teacher asking for him to reconsider his stance on an education vote, Senator Johnson wrote "quit whining". In June 2016, Johnson changed his party affiliation to "No Party", citing his opposition to the Republican Party's support for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. He stated, "Many of the voters who elected me are supporting Mr. Trump. I respect that, but disagree that he is qualified to lead the nation and the free world." In 2019 Johnson joined the Democratic Party.

Awards and honors

Johnson has won a number of awards from the following: * Distinguished Service Award * Iowa Newspaper Association * Iowa FFA and Iowa High School Football Coaches Association * Legislator of the Year * Iowa Izaak Walton League * Iowa Agribusiness Association * Iowa Biotechnology Association and Iowa Safe Kids Coalition * Guardian of Small Business Award — National Federation of Independent Business * Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities * Iowa Health Care Association * Iowa Dental Association

2006 election

Early life and education

Career

Awards and honors

References

External links