Jay Withington Johnson (September 30, 1943October 17, 2009) was an American politician and journalist who served as the 36th director of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

, and one-term member of 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

. He was also a

television news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or tel ...

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea le ...

for

WFRV-TV WFRV-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on East Mason Street in Green Bay, and its transmitter is located north of Mor ...

and WLUK-TV.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in

Bessemer, Michigan Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,805. It is the county seat of Gogebic County. The city is surrounded by Bessemer Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is on U. ...

and graduated from Bessemer High School. He earned an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. Th ...

in speech from Gogebic Community College in 1963 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech from

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...

in 1965. Johnson was an information specialist with 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, ...

from 1966 until 1968. He was on the board of directors of the Wisconsin

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

. Johnson received a master's degree in radio and television arts from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

in 1970.

Career

Journalism

Johnson was a broadcaster and journalist working in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

before settling

, where he worked for 16 years at

and WLUK-TV.

Politics

In 1996, Johnson was elected to represent in the

105th United States Congress The 105th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1997, ...

after 18-year incumbent

Toby Roth Tobias Anton "Toby" Roth (born October 10, 1938) is a former Republican U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Roth represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979, first being ...

chose not to run for a 10th term. He was the fourth Democrat to represent the district in the 20th century. He was defeated after one term by State Assemblyman Mark Green in 1998. In August 1999, Johnson was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

to become Director of the

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

in May 2000 and served until his successor was appointed by President George W. Bush in August 2001. After leaving the U.S. Mint, he was self-employed, selling wholesale coins and was the chief

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

for

The Franklin Mint The Franklin Mint is a private mint founded by Joseph Segel in 1964 in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The building is in Middletown Township. The brand name was previously owned by Sequential Brands Group headquartered in New York City, New York. It is ...

. On June 29, 2009, Goldline International, Inc., announced that Johnson had become a spokesperson for their company.

Death

On October 17, 2009, Johnson died at his home in

Bristow, Virginia Bristow is an unincorporated community of Prince William County in Northern Virginia about from Washington, D.C. In 2014, Bristow's postal area population was 29,346, a 287% increase since 2000; however, the Bristow community is formally incl ...

, of an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He was survived by his wife, JoLee, and his two stepchildren.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary Election, September 10, 1996 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1996 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1998

References

External links

* * *
2009 Wisconsin Assembly Joint Resolution 88
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jay 1943 births 2009 deaths People from Bessemer, Michigan People from Prince William County, Virginia American television news anchors Directors of the United States Mint Michigan State University alumni Northern Michigan University alumni Gogebic Community College alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians Clinton administration personnel George W. Bush administration personnel