James Paul Johnson (born June 2, 1930) is an American politician, lawyer and jurist from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. He served in 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 ...

as a

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 ...

Life

James Paul Johnson was born in Yankton,

Yankton County, South Dakota Yankton County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 23,310. Its county seat is Yankton, South Dakota, Yankton. Yankton County comprises the Yankton, SD Mi ...

. He earned his B.A. from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1952 and later earned an LL.B. from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

in 1959. In 1952 he enlisted into the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and served as a jet pilot during the Korean War from 1952 to 1956. He became a Christian missionary and went on a mission to convert the Aleutian natives in Alaska. He was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1959 and briefly served in private practice prior to being named a deputy district attorney for the Eighth Judicial District of Colorado from 1959 to 1966. He was the Municipal Judge for

Ault, Colorado Ault is a statutory town located in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,887 at the 2020 United States Census, a +24.23% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Ault is a part of the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Sta ...

from 1962 to 1965, and assistant district attorney from 1964 to 1966. He served as member of the Poudre R-1 School Board,

Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

from 1969 to 1971 and served as delegate to Colorado State Republican conventions from 1960 to 1972. During the 1972 elections he was elected to the House of Representatives and served until 1981. In February 1978 he apologized for stating that President "

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

didn't declare war on the West(ern United States) he bombed us without a declaration of war." in response to Carter's water project policies. After leaving office he resumed practicing law in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

. He served as member of the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judicial nominating commission for state of Colorado from 1984 to 1986 and also served as a member of the Colorado Water Conservation Board from 1985 to 1987.

Electoral history

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, James Paul 1930 births Colorado state court judges Colorado lawyers Living people Military personnel from South Dakota Northwestern University alumni People from Yankton, South Dakota Politicians from Fort Collins, Colorado Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado School board members in Colorado United States Marine Corps officers University of Colorado alumni Military personnel from Colorado