Sam Johnson | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's3rd district | |
| In office May 8, 1991 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Van Taylor |
| Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee | |
Acting | |
| In office October 29, 2015 – November 5, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Brady |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the 60th district | |
| In office January 8, 1985 – May 21, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Eikenburg |
| Succeeded by | Brian McCall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Robert Johnson (1930-10-11)October 11, 1930 San Antonio,Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 2020(2020-05-27) (aged 89) Plano, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Southern Methodist University (BBA) George Washington University (MS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1950–1979 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing 8th Tactical Fighter Wing |
| Commands | 31st Tactical Fighter Wing |
| Battles/wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star withvalor Purple Heart (2) |
Samuel Robert Johnson (October 11, 1930 – May 27, 2020) was an American politician who served as theU.S. representative forTexas's 3rd congressional district in Congress from 1991 to 2019. He was a member of theRepublican Party. In October and November 2015, he was the acting Chairman of theHouse Committee on Ways and Means, where he also served as chairman of theSocial Security Subcommittee.
Johnson was also aUnited States Air Forcecolonel and was a decorated fighter pilot in both theKorean War and theVietnam War where in the latter he was an Americanprisoner of war inNorth Vietnam for nearly seven years. On January 6, 2017, Johnson announced he would not run for reelection in 2018.[1][2] After the death ofLouise Slaughter in March 2018, he became the oldest sitting member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the last Korean War veteran to serve in Congress.[3]
Johnson was born October 11, 1930, in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Mima (Nabors) and Samuel Robert Johnson, Jr.[4] Johnson grew up inDallas and graduated fromWoodrow Wilson High School in 1947.[5] Johnson graduated from his hometownSouthern Methodist University in 1951, earning abachelor's degree inbusiness administration. While at SMU, Johnson joined theDelta Chi social fraternity as well as theAlpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.[6]
He attained amaster's degree from theElliott School of International Affairs of theGeorge Washington University in 1976.[7][8]
Johnson had a 29-year career in theUnited States Air Force, where he served as director of theAir Force Fighter Weapons School and flew theF-100 Super Sabre with theAir Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. He commanded the31st Tactical Fighter Wing atHomestead AFB,Florida, and an air division atHolloman AFB,New Mexico, retiring as acolonel. One of his classmates in flight school was future astronautBuzz Aldrin. The two remained lifelong friends.[9][10]
He was a combat veteran of both theKorean andVietnam Wars as afighter pilot. During the Korean War, he flew 62combat missions in theF-86 Sabre and shot down oneMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. During the Vietnam War, Johnson flew theF-4 Phantom II.[7]
On April 16, 1966, while flying his 25th combat mission inVietnam, he was shot down overNorth Vietnam and suffered a broken right arm and broken back. He was aprisoner of war for nearly seven years, including 42 months in solitary confinement. During this period, he was repeatedlytortured.[7][11]
Johnson was part of a group of eleven U.S. military prisoners known as theAlcatraz Gang, a group of prisoners separated from other captives for their resistance to their captors. They were held in "Alcatraz", a special facility about one mile away from theHỏa Lò Prison, notably nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton". Johnson, like the others, was kept in solitary confinement, locked nightly inlegcuffs in a windowless 3-by-9-foot concrete cell with the light on around the clock.[12][13][14][15][16] Johnson was released on February 12, 1973, duringOperation Homecoming. He recounted the details of hisPOW experience in hisautobiography,Captive Warriors.[7][11] By the time of his release, he weighed only 120 pounds. His right hand was permanently disabled, and he was left with a noticeable limp for the rest of his life.[17]
In 2018, Johnson donated objects related to his imprisonment to the collection of theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Museum of American History.[18]
After his military career, he established a homebuilding business inPlano, Texas.
He was elected to theTexas House of Representatives in 1984 and was re-elected three times, serving a total of seven years in the state legislature.[11]
On May 8, 1991, he waselected to the U.S. House in a special election brought about by eight-year incumbentSteve Bartlett's resignation to becomemayor of Dallas. Johnson defeated fellowconservative RepublicanThomas Pauken, also of Dallas, 24,004 (52.6 percent) to 21,647 (47.4 percent).[19]
Johnson ran unopposed by theRepublican Party in his district in the 2004 election. Paul Jenkins, an independent, and James Vessels, a member of theLibertarian Party, ran against Johnson. Johnson won overwhelmingly in a highly Republican district. Johnson garnered 86% of the vote (178,099), while Jenkins earned 8% (16,850) and Vessels 6% (13,204).[20]
Johnson ran for re-election in 2006, defeating his opponent Robert Edward Johnson in the Republicanprimary, 85 to 15 percent.[21][22]
In the general election, Johnson faced Democrat Dan Dodd and Libertarian Christopher J. Claytor. Both Dodd and Claytor areWest Point graduates. Dodd was a U.S. Air Force officer who served in Vietnam,[23] while Claytor served inOperation Southern Watch in Kuwait in 1992.[24] It was only the fourth time that Johnson had faced Democratic opposition.[25]
Johnson retained his seat, taking 62.5% of the vote, while Dodd received 34.9% and Claytor received 2.6%.[26] However, this was by far less a margin of victory then in past years, when Johnson won by 80 percent or more.[20]
Johnson retained his seat in the House of Representatives by defeating Democrat Tom Daley and Libertarian nominee Christopher J. Claytor in the 2008 general election. He won with 60 percent of the vote, an unusually low total for such a heavily Republican district.[21]
Johnson won re-election with 66.3 percent of the vote against Democrat John Lingenfelder (31.3 percent) andLibertarian Christopher Claytor (2.4 percent).[27]
Johnson handily won re-nomination to his twelfth full term in the U.S. House in the Republican primary held on March 4. He polled 30,943 votes (80.5 percent); two challengers, Josh Loveless and Harry Pierce, held the remaining combined 19.5 percent of the votes cast.[28]
Johnson won reelection to his 13th full term in the general election held on November 8, 2016. With 193,684 votes (61.2 percent), he defeated Democrat Adam P. Bell, who polled 109,420 (34.6 percent). Scott Jameson and Paul Blair, the nominees of the Libertarian andGreen parties, polled 10,448 votes (3.3 percent) and 2,915 (0.92 percent), respectively.[29]
Three days after being sworn in for his 14th term overall and his 13th full term, Johnson announced he would not run for reelection.[1]
In the House, Johnson was an ardentconservative.[7][11] By some views, Johnson had the most conservative record in the House for three consecutive years, opposingpork barrel projects of all kinds, voting for moreIRAs and against extending unemployment benefits. The conservative watchdog groupCitizens Against Government Waste consistently rated him as being friendly to taxpayers. Johnson was a signer ofAmericans for Tax Reform'sTaxpayer Protection Pledge.[30]
Johnson was a member of the conservativeRepublican Study Committee,[31] and joinedDan Burton,Ernest Istook, andJohn Doolittle in refounding it in 1994 afterNewt Gingrich pulled its funding.[32] He alternated as chairman with the other three co-founders in the late 1990s.[33]
In November 1997, Johnson was one of eighteen Republicans in the House to co-sponsora resolution byBob Barr that sought to launch animpeachment inquiry against PresidentBill Clinton.[34][35] The resolution did not specify any charges or allegations.[35] This was an early effort toimpeach Clinton, predating the eruption of theClinton–Lewinsky scandal. The eruption of that scandal would ultimately lead to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998.[36] On October 8, 1998, Johnson voted in favor of legislation that was passed to openan impeachment inquiry.[37]On December 19, 1998, Johnson voted in favor of all four proposedarticles of impeachment against Clinton (only two of which received the needed majority of votes needed to be adopted).[38][39][40][41]
On the Ways and Means Committee, he was an early advocate and, then, sponsor of the successful repeal in 2000 of the earnings limit forSocial Security recipients. He proposed the Good Samaritan Tax Act to allow corporations to take a tax deduction for charitable giving of food. He chaired theSubcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, where he encouraged small business owners to expand theirpension and[42] benefits for employees. In December 2016, Johnson introducedH.R. 6489, a bill that would increaseSocial Security payments to low-income beneficiaries while reducing payments to high-income beneficiaries and would gradually add two years to theminimum age for receiving full retirement payments.[43][44]
Johnson opposed calls for government intervention in the name of energy reform if such reform would hamper the market and or place undue burdens on individuals seeking to earn decent wages.[45] He called for allowing additional drilling for oil inAlaska.[46]
After the death ofJohn McCain, Johnson became the only Vietnam-era prisoner of war serving in Congress.[47]
In December 2017, Johnson signed a letter from Congress (along with 106 other Congress members) toFCC ChairmanAjit Pai supporting his plan to repealnet neutrality ahead of the commission's vote.[48]
Johnson was married to Shirley L. Melton of Dallas from 1950 until her death on December 3, 2015.[55] They had three children and ten grandchildren. Their son Bob predeceased both his parents in 2013.[7]
Johnson died on May 27, 2020, inPlano, Texas, the city where he lived the last years of his life. The cause of death was not disclosed but a former spokesperson had announced it was unrelated toCOVID-19.[17] He was 89.[7][11] He was buried with full military honors at Restland Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas on June 8.[56]
Johnson was aMethodist.[57] He sat on the board of directors of theInstitute in Basic Life Principles.[58]
Johnson's decorations and awards included:[59]
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Silver Star for Actions of 16 April 1966[60]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Major Samuel Robert Johnson, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while serving with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, Pacific Air Force, in action in Southeast Asia on 16 April 1966. On that date, Major Johnson led a flight of two F-4C Fighter-Bombers on a twilight armed recce mission against a heavily defended target deep within hostile territory. Locating the target despite restricted visibility due to haze and terrain, Major Johnson encountered a curtain of flak as he rolled in for his first strike. Immediately altering his attack, although at a dangerously low altitude, he turned into the very teeth of fire from the menacing guns and continued to press the attack until his aircraft sustained mortal damage, forcing him to eject. This courageous act, attempted in the face of devastating ground fire at minimum altitude and great personal risk, epitomized the finest qualities of a true combat pilot. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Major Johnson has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Silver Star for Actions of January 1969[60]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to Colonel Samuel Robert Johnson, United States Air Force, for gallantry and intrepidity in action in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force during January 1969, while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Ignoring international agreements on treatment of prisoners of war, the enemy resorted to mental and physical cruelties to obtain information, confessions, and propaganda materials. Colonel Johnson resisted their demands by calling upon his deepest inner strengths in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 3rd congressional district 1991–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee Acting 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee Acting 2015 | ||
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Study Committee 1995–1999 Served alongside:Dan Burton,John Doolittle,Ernest Istook | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Study Committee 2000–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest member of the U.S. House of Representatives 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
