Tim Johnson (Illinois politician)

Timothy V. Johnson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 15th district
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Tom Ewing
Succeeded by	Rodney Davis (Redistricting)
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
In office January 1977 – January 2001
Preceded by	multi-member district
Succeeded by	Thomas B. Berns
Constituency	52nd district (1977-1983) 104th district (1983-2001)
Member of the Urbana City Council
In office 1971–1975
Personal details
Born	Timothy Vincent Johnson (1946-07-23) July 23, 1946 (age 75) Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Divorced
Residence	Urbana, Illinois
Education	University of Illinois (BA, JD)
Occupation	attorney

Timothy Vincent Johnson (born July 23, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. He was the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 15th congressional district, serving from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party and did not run for re-election in 2012.

Early life, education, and early political career[]

Johnson was born in Champaign to Robert and Margaret Evans Johnson and spent his childhood in Urbana where he graduated from Urbana High School.

He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1964^[1] followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Johnson majored in history and graduated in 1969 Phi Beta Kappa, receiving the Bronze tablet,^[2] an honor given to the top 3% of undergraduates.^[3] 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.^[4][5]

Johnson greets constituents at the annual Mill Creek Lake Steak Fry, held in Edgar County, Illinois.

In 1971, Johnson was elected to the city council of Urbana, Illinois.

Illinois House of Representatives[]

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In 1976, Johnson was elected to serve as a representative in Springfield, after besting five other Republican candidates in the 1976 Republican primary.^[4] Johnson remained a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 2000.^[6]

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 vote "yes" during any roll call; he initially denied installing it, but later said it was "accepted practice" in the legislature.^[7] 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..."^[8]

For most of his career, Johnson represented much of the more rural and conservative portion of Champaign County, along with portions of Ford and Douglas counties. After the 1990 census, Johnson was drawn into the same district as Democrat Helen F. Satterthwaite, who had long represented the other side of Urbana, as well as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. However, the new district was more Johnson's territory than Satterthwaite's; Republicans outnumbered Democrats by almost 3 to 1. It also didn't include Satterthwaite's old base at the U of I.^[9] At that election, Johnson won with 60 percent of the vote.^[10]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2004

In 2004, Johnson raised $533,478 in campaign funds,^[11] 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^[12] $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).^[11] Johnson defeated Democratic candidate David Gill 61% to 39% .

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."^[13]

In the 2006 election in November, Johnson again faced Democrat David Gill.

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.^[14]

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 apportionment following the 2010 Census, Johnson's district was renumbered as the 13th District for the 2012 elections.^[15] The redrawn district stretched from Champaign-Urbana through Springfield and Bloomington to the outer suburbs of St. Louis. Johnson now found himself in a district that was mostly new to him; he only retained about 30 percent of his former territory.

On March 14, 2012, Johnson endorsed Texas Congressman Ron Paul for the 2012 Republican primary in Illinois.^[16]

On April 5, 2012, just days after winning the Republican nomination for the reconfigured 13th, Johnson announced his retirement from office, to the surprise of many.^[17]

Tenure[]

Outside of meetings, committee hearings, and votes, Johnson has been 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.^[15]

In the House, Johnson's voting record has been the most moderate among Illinois Republicans outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2010, American Conservative Union gave him its second-lowest rating among Illinois Republicans,^{[citation needed]} behind only Mark Steven Kirk of the 10th District. However, he is a member of 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.^[18] Meanwhile, the Family Research Council, a conservative watchdog, in its most recent scorecard gives Johnson a 100%.^[19]

• Johnson voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act,^[20] which passed but was vetoed by President George W. Bush.
• 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 2008^[21][22] including immunity for American telecommunications companies that implemented warrantless wiretaps outside of the scope of the FISA program for the Bush administration. 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 Act.
• 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.^[23]

Committee assignments[]

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
  • Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture (Chairman)
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Caucus memberships[]

• Congressional Central Aisle Caucus (Co-founder)
• Congressional Fire Services Caucus
• Congressional Internet Caucus
• Congressional Rural Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth

Personal life[]

Johnson has nine children and ten grandchildren.^[4] He was an attorney and senior partner at Johnson, Frank, Frederick and Walsh from 1972 to 2001.^[1]

Awards and honors[]

Johnson was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2013 in the area of Communications.^[24]

Post congressional career[]

In 2015, Johnson was elected to the Parkland College Board of Trustees.^[25]

As of November 2015, Johnson was petitioning to become a delegate for Senator Marco Rubio's Presidential campaign.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

External links[]

• U.S. Congressman Timothy V. Johnson official U.S. House website
• Friends of Congressman Timothy V. Johnson official campaign website
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission