Howard A. Johnson (1893 – June 8, 1974) was an American politician and jurist. He was chief justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court wh ...

, serving on the court from 1939 to 1946. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, Johnson was raised in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and attended college there. He attended the

University of Montana Law School The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. , the school accepted 83 applicants. The school tied for 103rd in the 2023 '' ...

from 1915 to 1917."Former State Chief Justice Johnson Dies"
''The Daily Inter Lake'' (June 11, 1974), p. 10. He was a pilot in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

,"World War I Pilots Meet", ''The Billings Gazette'' (June 7, 1969), p. 8. receiving training in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He was injured in a crash in France, resulting in a year of hospitalization, and he was decorated by the French and American governments. After the war, he entered the practice of law in Whitehall, Montana. He was elected to represent

Silver Bow, Montana Silver Bow is a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States. It lies near the interchange of Interstate 15 and Interstate 90, near Rocker. It is the location of a major rail junction on the Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Norther ...

in the

Montana Legislature The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana. It is composed of the 100-member Montana House of Representatives and the 50-member Montana Senate. The Montana Constitution dictates that the legislature me ...

as a Republican in 1921. He served as the County Attorney for

Jefferson County, Montana Jefferson County is a county in Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,085. Its county seat is Boulder. The county was created in 1865 and named for President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson County is part of the Hel ...

in the 1920s, and as an assistant United States Attorney in 1930. In 1939, Johnson was elected to fill the unexpired term of O. F. Goddard. He was then reelected to a full term, from which he retired in 1946 to resume the practice of law. He retired in 1972, moving to

San Leandro, California San Leandro (Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the sou ...

, where he died at the age of 80.

References

1893 births 1974 deaths People from Jefferson County, Montana University of Montana alumni Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators County district attorneys in Montana Assistant United States Attorneys Politicians from Beloit, Wisconsin 20th-century American judges 20th-century Montana politicians Chief Justices of the Montana Supreme Court {{Montana-state-judge-stub

See also

References