Senator Tim Johnson
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Timothy Peter Johnson (born December 28, 1946) is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a
United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
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 ...
from 1997 to 2015. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
, he previously served as the
United States representative 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 ...
for from 1987 to 1997 and in the state legislature from 1979 to 1987. Johnson chose not to seek reelection in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. , he is the last Democrat to have represented South Dakota in
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
, and the last to hold any statewide office in the state.


Early life, education and legal career

Johnson was born in Canton, South Dakota, the son of Ruth Jorinda (née Ljostveit) and Vandel Charles Johnson. He has Norwegian,
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
and
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
ancestry. Raised in
Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is ...
, Johnson earned a B.A. in 1969 and an M.A. in 1970 from the
University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...
, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After doing
post-graduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...
studies at
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
from 1970 to 1971, a period during which he worked for the
Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...
, Johnson returned to Vermillion to attend 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 ...
and earned his J.D. in 1975; immediately after earning his juris doctor, he went into private practice. He did not take the bar exam as he was admitted to the South Dakota bar under the state's
diploma privilege In the United States, the diploma privilege is a method for lawyers to be admitted to the bar (i.e. authorized to practice law) without taking a bar examination. Wisconsin is the only jurisdiction that currently allows diploma privilege as an alt ...
.


Early political career

Johnson served in the
South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...
from 1979 to 1982 and in the
South Dakota Senate The Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district; it meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''92nd Legislature (2019)'' Officers Li ...
from 1983 to 1986. Johnson served as Clay County deputy state's attorney in 1985 during his tenure in the South Dakota Senate. 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 ...
from in 1986. During his first term, he introduced more legislation than any other freshman member of the House. Between 1991 and 1994, he served as a regional
whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
for the Democratic Party. He left the House in 1997, when he took up his newly acquired Senate seat.


United States Senate


Committee assignments

* Committee on Appropriations ** Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies ** Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development ** Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies ** Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies (Chairman) ** Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs ** Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies * Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (Chairman) ** Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development ** Subcommittee on Financial Institutions ** Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment *
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...
** Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests ** Subcommittee on Water and Power *
Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...


Political positions


Infrastructure

During his tenure in Congress, Johnson supported infrastructure projects that delivered clean drinking water to communities throughout South Dakota and into surrounding states. He authored several water project bills, resulting in clean drinking water being delivered to hundreds of thousands of South Dakota families. During his first term in the House of Representatives, Congressman Tim Johnson authored th
Mni Wiconi Project Act of 1988
(H.R. 2772, enacted into law as Public Law 100–516). The measure authorized construction of a water project serving an area of southwestern South Dakota that included the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, an area that had long suffered low water supplies and poor water quality. In subsequent years, Johnson authored legislation
H.R. 3954
to expand the Mni Wiconi Rural Water Project service area, and the expansion was incorporated into a broader bill and enacted a
Public Law 103-434
Johnson'
Mid Dakota Rural Water System Act of 1991
(H.R. 616) was incorporated into a larger package of infrastructure projects and enacted into law as
Public Law 102-575
. The Mid Dakota Rural Water Project was completed in 2006 and serves more than 30,000 residents of east-central South Dakota. Th
Fall River Rural Water Users District Rural Water System Act of 1998
(S. 744 in the 105th Congress, enacted as Public Law 105–352) authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to construct a rural water system in Fall River County of South Dakota. After years of drought, residents in the southeastern area of that county had been left without a suitable water supply, and many of them were forced to either haul water or use bottled water because of poor water quality. Th
Lewis and Clark Rural Water System Act of 1999
(S.244 in the 106th Congress) authorized construction of a water delivery system spanning a broad area of southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa, and southwestern Minnesota. The system joined 22 rural water systems and communities. The authorized project was intended t
bring clean, safe drinking water to 180,000 individuals
throughout the Lewis and Clark service region. Th
Perkins County Rural Water System Act
(S.2117 in the 105th Congress and S.243 in the 106th Congress, enacted as Public Law 106–136) authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to construct a rural water system in Perkins County of South Dakota, serving approximately 2,500 residents including the communities of Lemmon and Bison.


Agriculture

Johnson worked to enact a requirement that meat and other agricultural products be labeled for country of origin. Having first authored legislation addressing the issue in 1992
H.R. 5855
), Johnson continued the fight until a meat labeling law was enacted in 2002 as part of th
Farm Bill reauthorization
(Public Law 107–171). The enacted law contained language Johnson had introduced a
S. 280
earlier that Congress. For more than a decade
executive branch opposition
an
legal challenges
delayed implementation of the labeling law. In May 2007, Johnson received an ''Honored Cooperator'' award from the
National Cooperative Business Association The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) is a United States membership organization for cooperatives, which are businesses that are jointly owned and democratically controlled. The association was founded in 1916 as the Cooperative L ...
(NCBA) for his support of
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
businesses. In 2013, the National Farmers Union presented Johnson with its Friend of the Family Farmer award, an honor intended to recognize his commitment to helping small scale family farms remain viable.


Tourism

Johnson authored th
bill
establishing the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in western South Dakota. The measure was enacted as Public Law 106–115, creating a new unit of the National Park System. At th

visitors can learn about the Cold War, and the nuclear missiles that threatened massive destruction while also serving as a deterrent to war.


Defense

Johnson was the only seated member of Congress to have a son or daughter serving in the active duty military when the Senate voted to approve the use of force in Iraq. Johnson's oldest son, Brooks, served in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, which would surely be mobilized to fight in Iraq. Johnson ultimately voted to permit the use of force, and his son served in Iraq, having already served in other conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo. Brooks Johnson later also served in the conflict in Afghanistan. As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Johnson secured full and timely funding for veterans' health care for the first time in 21 years. He was among a group of legislators that successfully pressed for enactment of legislation providin
advance funding for veterans' health care
, thereby preventing health services for veterans from being undermined by funding delays. When the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended closure of Ellsworth Air Force Base
Johnson assisted
in making the South Dakota delegation's case to keep the base open. Ultimately, the base was preserved by an 8 to 1 vote of the BRAC commission.


Banking

As Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee
Johnson pressed for confirmation
and ultimately brought President Obama's nominee for CFPB chairman, Richard Cordray, to a committee vote despite Republican opposition. The committee approved Cordray's nomination on
party-line 12-10 vote
and Cordray was ultimately confirmed by the full Senate on
66-34 vote


Other

In the House, Johnson was among the minority of his party to vote in favor of the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The bill implemented major changes to ...
of 1996a
welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
reform bill and another bill to repeal the
Federal Assault Weapons Ban The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, popularly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), was a subsection of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a United States federal law which include ...
. He was among the minority of Democrats to vote for President George W. Bush's 2001 tax cut. On January 31, 2006, Johnson was one of only four Democrats to vote to confirm Judge
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
to the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
. He has also called for "broadened use" of the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. Johnson was, however, among the minority of senators to vote against the
Unborn Victims of Violence Act The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-212) is a United States law that recognizes an embryo or fetus in utero as a legal victim, if they are injured or killed during the commission of any of over 60 listed federal crimes of ...
, which was strongly supported by
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
groups. While a member of the House, he was one of only 16 congressmen to vote against the
Telecom Act of 1996 The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a United States federal law enacted by the 104th United States Congress on January 3, 1996, and signed into law on February 8, 1996, by President Bill Clinton. It primarily amended Chapter 5 of Title 47 of t ...
, which provided for
deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
and competition in the communication sector and was given firm support by Republicans, business groups, and most Democrats. Johnson supported Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...
in December 2009, and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. In May 2010, Johnson introduced the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010, a bill that would designate over of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland as protected wilderness. The act would allow the continuation of grazing and hunting on the land and would create the first national grassland wilderness in the country. On December 18, 2010, Johnson voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.


Health

Johnson was treated for
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
in 2004 and further tests showed that he was clear of the disease. On December 13, 2006, while in Washington, DC, during the broadcast of a live radio interview with WNAX radio, Johnson suffered bleeding in the brain caused by a cerebral arteriovenous malformation, a congenital defect that causes enlarged and tangled blood vessels. In critical condition, he underwent surgery at George Washington University Hospital to drain the blood and stop further bleeding. Johnson then underwent a lengthy regimen of
physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...
,
occupational Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a co ...
, and
speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...
to regain strength and mobility and restore his severely affected speech. In his
2007 State of the Union Address The 2007 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on January 23, 2007, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 110th United States Congress. It ...
, President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
sent Johnson his best wishes. Johnson returned to his full schedule in the Senate on September 5, 2007, to both tributes and standing ovations.


Political campaigns

Johnson narrowly defeated three-term Senator Larry Pressler ( R) in the 1996 U.S. Senate election, making him the only Senate candidate that year to defeat an incumbent in a general election, in a year that saw thirteen open seats. In
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, he defeated his successor in the at-large House seat, U.S. Representative John Thune (R), by 524 votes to win reelection. Johnson's reelection race was widely seen as a proxy battle between
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, who had carried South Dakota comfortably in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, and the state's senior Senator and Johnson's fellow Democrat,
Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...
Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 an ...
, who subsequently ran for reelection in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and lost to Thune. In his 2002 election, Johnson won 94 percent of the vote among the Oglala Sioux, South Dakota's biggest tribe.


2008

Johnson ran for reelection in 2008. While he was recovering earlier in the campaign season, fellow Democratic senators raised funds for his campaign. Early polls showed Johnson likely to beat the Republican challenger,
Joel Dykstra Joel D. Dykstra (born February 13, 1958) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, who represented the 16th District from 2003 to 2009. His district included Lincoln ...
, which he did, with 62.5% of the vote. In January 2008, Johnson endorsed
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
for president in the Democratic primary.


Electoral history

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, Ann Balakier received 2,780 votes.


Personal life

Tim is the second son of Van, a noted educator, and Ruth, a homemaker, Johnson. His older brother is Thomas Johnson, MD of Yankton, SD, and his younger sister is Julie Johnson Spencer of Armeda, MI. Tim is a graduate of Vermillion High School. The Johnsons have three children Brooks of Millis, MA, Brendan, and Kelsey Billion of Sioux Falls, SD. They have eight grandchildren. Their home is in Sioux Falls, SD.


References


External links

* * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Tim 1946 births American people of Danish descent American Lutherans American people of Norwegian descent American people of Swedish descent American prosecutors Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota Democratic Party United States senators from South Dakota Living people Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Michigan State University alumni People from Canton, South Dakota People from Vermillion, South Dakota Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota South Dakota lawyers Democratic Party South Dakota state senators University of South Dakota alumni University of South Dakota School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians