Timothy V. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Timothy Vincent "Tim" Johnson (born July 23, 1946) is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
where he graduated from Urbana High School
.
He attended the United States Military Academy
at West Point
in 1964 followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Johnson majored in history and graduated in 1969 Phi Beta Kappa, receiving the Bronze tablet, an honor given to the top 3% of undergraduates. In 1972, Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law
and was elected to the Order of the Coif
, a national legal honor society.
of Urbana, Illinois
.
, after besting five other Republican candidates in the 1976 Republican primary. Johnson remained a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1976 to 2000.
While running for re-election in 1980, a photograph was published showing Johnson had rigged a paper clip so that in his absence he would "yes" during any roll call; he initially denied installing it, but later said it was "accepted practice" in the legislature. Twenty years later, when Johnson ran for U.S. Congress, Mike Kelleher, his Democratic rival, had the story documented on a website dedicated to the photograph and Johnson's reactions, saying "It would be funny, if it weren't so serious..."
gave him its second-lowest rating among Illinois Republicans
, behind only Mark Steven Kirk of the 10th District. However, Johnson has recently joined the conservative Republican Study Committee
.
For each of the 107th
, 108th
, 109th
, and 110th
Congresses Johnson received a score of 0% from the Human Rights Campaign
. This was for, among other things, voting against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
, which would have prohibited discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, and for refusing to adopt a written policy for his own office pledging not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in employment decisions.
Meanwhile the Family Research Council
, a conservative watchdog, in its most recent scorecard gives Johnson a 100%.
From 2003 through 2005, $14.7 billion in crop subsidies went to the congressional districts of members on the House Committee on Agriculture, an analysis by the non-partisan Environmental Working Group found. That was 42.4% of the total subsidies. Johnson is reported to have brought $716 million to his District.
less than half the national average for a Republican running for reelection ($1,206,138). The 2004 campaign fundraising was about a quarter of the
$1,943,630 raised by his initial campaign in 2000; that in turn was nearly double the amount raised by his fellow freshmen Republicans ($1,171,118).
In the 2006 election in November, Johnson again faced Democrat David Gill, M.D., whom he had defeated in 2004, 61% to 39%.
At the end of June 2006, Johnson had over $130,000 available for spending for his 2006 campaign, more than double the total amount raised by his opponent at that point. In the 2006 midterm elections
, he was reelected by a slightly narrower 58-42% margin.
following the 2010 Census, Johnson to represent for the 2012 elections
. If elected. his new district "just southwest nearly to St. Louis" and includes about 30 percent of the district he had previously represented.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Early life and education
Johnson was born in Champaign to Robert and Margaret Evans Johnson and spent his childhood in UrbanaUrbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
where he graduated from Urbana High School
Urbana High School (Illinois)
-History:Urbana High School's current building was built in 1914. It was designed by architect Joseph Royer who also designed many other area buildings such as the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign County Court House...
.
He attended the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
in 1964 followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Johnson majored in history and graduated in 1969 Phi Beta Kappa, receiving the Bronze tablet, an honor given to the top 3% of undergraduates. In 1972, Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law
UIUC College of Law
The University of Illinois College of Law is the law school of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the flagship campus of the public University of Illinois university system. The College of Law was established in 1897, and offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law...
and was elected to the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a national legal honor society.
Early political career
In 1971, Johnson was elected to the city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of Urbana, Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
.
Illinois House of Representatives
In 1976, Johnson was elected to serve as a representative in SpringfieldSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, after besting five other Republican candidates in the 1976 Republican primary. Johnson remained a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1976 to 2000.
While running for re-election in 1980, a photograph was published showing Johnson had rigged a paper clip so that in his absence he would "yes" during any roll call; he initially denied installing it, but later said it was "accepted practice" in the legislature. Twenty years later, when Johnson ran for U.S. Congress, Mike Kelleher, his Democratic rival, had the story documented on a website dedicated to the photograph and Johnson's reactions, saying "It would be funny, if it weren't so serious..."
U.S. House of Representatives
Outside of meetings, committee hearings, and votes, Johnson is said to spend "nearly every waking minute" cold-calling his constituents; the practice amounts to calls to "more than a half-million constituents" during his first six terms in office.Committee assignments
- Committee on AgricultureUnited States House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
- Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture (Chairman)
- Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureUnited States House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureThe U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
- Subcommittee on Highways and TransitUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and TransitThe House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee oversees highway, transit, and highway safety programs in the United States, as well as policy governing how highway and transit projects...
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and EnvironmentUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and EnvironmentThe Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over water conservation, pollution control, infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup, the civil works programs of the U.S. Army...
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Central Aisle Caucus (Co-founder)
- Congressional Fire Services Caucus
- Congressional Internet Caucus
- Congressional Rural Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
Voting record
In the House, Johnson's voting record is the most moderate among Illinois Republicans outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2010, American Conservative UnionAmerican Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
gave him its second-lowest rating among Illinois Republicans
Illinois Republican Party
The Illinois Republican Party is the state-level affiliate of the Republican Party in Illinois. Since August 20, 2009, it has been chaired by Pat Brady...
, behind only Mark Steven Kirk of the 10th District. However, Johnson has recently joined the conservative Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
.
For each of the 107th
107th United States Congress
The One Hundred Seventh 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, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final...
, 108th
108th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eighth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's...
, 109th
109th United States Congress
The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members...
, and 110th
108th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eighth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's...
Congresses Johnson received a score of 0% from the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
. This was for, among other things, voting against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees.ENDA has been introduced in every...
, which would have prohibited discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, and for refusing to adopt a written policy for his own office pledging not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in employment decisions.
Meanwhile the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
, a conservative watchdog, in its most recent scorecard gives Johnson a 100%.
Key votes
- Johnson voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement ActStem Cell Research Enhancement ActStem Cell Research Enhancement Act was the name of two similar bills that both passed through the United States House of Representatives and Senate, but were both vetoed by President George W. Bush and were not enacted into law...
, which passed but was vetoed by President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. - In June 2006, Johnson voted against net neutrality, by voting for the COPE Act, and against the Markey amendment that would have inserted provisions to preserve network neutrality.
- Johnson was the sole Republican congressman to vote against the FISA Amendments Act of 2008FISA Amendments Act of 2008The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 is an Act of Congress that amended the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.-Background:...
including immunity for American telecommunications companies that implemented warrantless wiretapsNSA warrantless surveillance controversyThe NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...
outside of the scope of the FISA program for the Bush administrationGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. The bill passed, 293, 129. - On November 7, 2009, Johnson was the only Republican voting against the Republican Health Care Reform plan, the Boehner amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America ActAffordable Health Care for America ActThe Affordable Health Care for America Act was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives in November 2009. At the encouragement of the Obama administration, the 111th Congress devoted much of its time to enacting reform of the United States' health care system...
. - On February 8, 2011, Johnson was one of 26 Republicans who voted against extending the PATRIOT Act.
From 2003 through 2005, $14.7 billion in crop subsidies went to the congressional districts of members on the House Committee on Agriculture, an analysis by the non-partisan Environmental Working Group found. That was 42.4% of the total subsidies. Johnson is reported to have brought $716 million to his District.
2004
In 2004, Johnson raised $533,478 in campaign funds,less than half the national average for a Republican running for reelection ($1,206,138). The 2004 campaign fundraising was about a quarter of the
$1,943,630 raised by his initial campaign in 2000; that in turn was nearly double the amount raised by his fellow freshmen Republicans ($1,171,118).
2006
In his 2000 campaign, Johnson pledged not to serve more than three terms. However, he ran for re-election in 2008 and 2010. Johnson "underestimated the value of seniority," spokesman Phil Bloomer says of his boss' decision to run for a fifth term. "As a rookie going in, (he) didn't understand what he could accomplish for his district by being there a longer period."In the 2006 election in November, Johnson again faced Democrat David Gill, M.D., whom he had defeated in 2004, 61% to 39%.
At the end of June 2006, Johnson had over $130,000 available for spending for his 2006 campaign, more than double the total amount raised by his opponent at that point. In the 2006 midterm elections
United States House elections, 2006
- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
, he was reelected by a slightly narrower 58-42% margin.
2008
Johnson received 64.19% of his district's votes, defeating Democratic nominee Steve Cox.2010
Johnson defeated Democratic nominee David Gill.2012
Due to congressional apportionmentUnited States congressional apportionment
United States congressional apportionment is the process by which seats in the United States House of Representatives are redistributed amongst the 50 states following each constitutionally mandated decennial census. Each state is apportioned a number of seats which approximately corresponds to its...
following the 2010 Census, Johnson to represent for the 2012 elections
United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections will be held on November 6, 2012. Elections will be held for all 435 seats, representing the 50 U.S. states. Elections will also be held for the delegates from the District of Columbia and five major U.S. territories.The winners of this...
. If elected. his new district "just southwest nearly to St. Louis" and includes about 30 percent of the district he had previously represented.
Personal life
Johnson has nine children and ten grandchildren. He was an attorney and senior partner at Johnson, Frank, Frederick and Walsh from 1972 to 2001.External links
- U.S. Congressman Timothy V. Johnson official U.S. House site
- Friends of Congressman Timothy V. Johnson official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...