Michael Donald Johnson (April 7, 1944 – July 30, 2022) was an American

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 ...

politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who served in the Oklahoma State Senate from district 22 from 1998 until he was term limited in 2010. Prior to his state politics career, Johnson also was active in local politics in

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ci ...

in the late 1970's, serving as the city treasurer from 1977 to 1981. In the 1980's he returned to

Kingfisher, Oklahoma Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma,. The population was 4,903 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History ...

where he served on the local school board between 1985 and 1995 and operated his family's Chrysler dealership. He retired from politics in 2010.

Early life and career

Johnson was born in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

on April 7, 1944. He was raised in

. His family owned a local Chrysler dealership in Kingfisher and he worked summers at a

firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

stand in the dealerships parking lot as a teenager. He graduated from Kingfisher High School in 1962. He met his wife, Judy, while studying at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in the 1960s and they married in 1966. The same year Johnson graduated with a degree in accounting. After graduating college, the couple ran a

tropical fish Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a ge ...

store in

and a certified public accountant firm in

Political career

In the 1970's Johnson was elected city treasurer of Edmond and served between 1977 and 1981. In 1981, Johnson and his family moved back to Kingfisher and began working for his family's car dealership. Johnson also served on the Kingfisher Public Schools school board between 1985 and 1995. Johnson began his first term in the State Senate in 1999 and served until 2010 when he retired due to term limits. While in office he served as the first

chairman of the Senate appropriations committee from 2009 to 2010. In 2007 and 2008, Johnson also served as the co-chair of the Senate appropriations committee with Democratic Senator

Johnnie Crutchfield Johnnie C. Crutchfield (born February 16, 1947) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1998 to 2010, representing District 14, which included Carter, Garvin, Love and Murray counties. ...

Personal life

Johnson died due to complication from a

hip surgery Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement. Such joint replacement o ...

on July 30, 2022, at the age of 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Mike 1944 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians American businesspeople in retailing Businesspeople from Oklahoma City Republican Party Oklahoma state senators People from Kingfisher, Oklahoma Politicians from Oklahoma City School board members in Oklahoma