Royal Cleaves Johnson (October 3, 1882 – August 2, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

and a highly decorated veteran of

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 ...

while he was still a member of Congress. Despite voting against United States declaration of war on Germany, he took a leave of absence from Congress to enlist. He became a highly decorated veteran receiving the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

from the United States government. He also received the War Cross 1914–1918 from the French government.

Early life and education

Royal Cleaves Johnson was born in

Cherokee, Iowa Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 Census, down from 5,369 in 2000. It is the county seat of Cherokee County. History Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870, and was named for the ...

in 1882. He moved with his parents to

Highmore, South Dakota Highmore is a city in and county seat of Hyde County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 682 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Highmore has been in operation since 1882. The city was named from its lofty elevation. ...

in 1883, and attended the public schools. He graduated from the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...

in 1906, and was admitted to the bar that same year.

Career

He started his practice in Highmore. He became the assistant state's attorney for Hyde County in 1906, and State's Attorney in 1908 and 1909. In 1910, he became the

Attorney General of South Dakota The Attorney General of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an Executive (government), executive position as the state's chief l ...

. In 1913, he moved to

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen (Lakota language, Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre. The city population was 2 ...

and returned to private practice. He was elected 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 ...

in 1915, serving through the end of the Seventy-Second Congress in 1932. He was the chairman for the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (1921–1925), and the Committee on World War Veteran's Legislation (1929–1932). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1932.

World War I

In 1918, even though he had on April 5, 1917, voted against declaring war on Germany, he absented himself from the Congress and enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

to fight in World War I. He served in the 313th Infantry Regiment as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

, and

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. In Montfaucon, France, on the 26th and 27 September 1918, he was involved in a combat situation wherein he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire and was wounded by an exploding shell. Although severely wounded, he accompanied two of his fellow soldiers to the rear and refused space in an ambulance until his comrades were cared for. For this, he received the

from the United States government, the citation for which reads: He also received the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with gold star from the Republic of

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 ...

The American Legion

After Johnson returned from the war, he resumed his seat in Congress. Johnson was the House sponsor of legislation to create a federal charter for

The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of lo ...

. The Senate co-sponsor was Sen. Josiah Wolcott of Delaware. The bill was filed on June 27, 1919, passed the House on August 27, passed the Senate on September 5 and was signed by President Wilson on September 16, 1919.

Later life

In 1930, in a speech before the US War Policies Commission, Johnson advocated for legislation that called for the mandatory conscription of "everything", including all private property and all United States citizens, should war be declared. The proposal was intended to address war profiteering, in solidarity with members of the American armed forces. Upon retiring from the House, Johnson continued to practice law in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, until his death there in 1939. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. In 1953 he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by The American Legion.
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Legacy

The Veterans Administration hospital in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, The Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Medical Center, is named in his honor.

Awards

Johnson's awards and decorations included the following:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Royal C. 1882 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery District attorneys in South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota People from Cherokee, Iowa People from Hyde County, South Dakota People from Washington, D.C. Politicians from Aberdeen, South Dakota Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota South Dakota Attorneys General South Dakota lawyers United States Army officers University of South Dakota alumni 20th-century American lawyers Washington, D.C., Republicans Military personnel from Iowa