Ed Johnson | |
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| 26th and 34thGovernor of Colorado | |
| In office January 11, 1955 – January 8, 1957 | |
| Lieutenant | Stephen McNichols |
| Preceded by | Daniel I. J. Thornton |
| Succeeded by | Stephen McNichols |
| In office January 10, 1933 – January 1, 1937 | |
| Lieutenant | Ray Herbert Talbot |
| Preceded by | Billy Adams |
| Succeeded by | Ray Herbert Talbot |
| United States Senator fromColorado | |
| In office January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Costigan |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Allott |
| 25thLieutenant Governor of Colorado | |
| In office January 13, 1931 – January 10, 1933 | |
| Governor | Billy Adams |
| Preceded by | George Milton Corlett |
| Succeeded by | Ray Herbert Talbot |
| Member of theColorado House of Representatives | |
| In office 1923–1931 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edwin Carl Johnson January 1, 1884 |
| Died | May 30, 1970(1970-05-30) (aged 86) |
| Resting place | Fairmount Mausoleum |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Signature |  |
Edwin Carl Johnson (January 1, 1884 – May 30, 1970) was an American politician of theDemocratic Party who served as bothgovernor of andU.S. senator from thestate ofColorado.
Johnson was born inScandia inRepublic County in northernKansas. As a child, he moved with his family to Elsie, Perkins County, Nebraska and then toLincoln,Nebraska. Johnson attended Lincoln High School under the tutelage ofWilliam Jennings Bryan, who was serving as a substitute teacher. After graduation in 1903, Johnson pursued his dream of becoming a railroad man, and after numerous positions became a train dispatcher/telegrapher atFairmont inFillmore County in southeastern Nebraska. In 1909, Johnson contractedtuberculosis and was advised to relocate to Colorado, where the climate was believed helpful in his medical situation. After recovering from the disease he settled together with his wife nearCraig, Colorado.[1]
Beginning in 1923, Johnson served in theColorado House of Representatives for four terms. He waslieutenant governor from 1931 to 1933. He represented Colorado for three terms in theUnited States Senate from 1937 until 1955, during which time from 1937 to 1940 he was an intraparty critic of theNew Deal policies ofU.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.[2] In 1946 Johnson was Chairman of the Senate Committee examining the progress of demobilization from WWII. In response to widespread protests by G.I.'s, he stated that with the exception of troops in Germany and Japan, troops such as in India, Burma, Java and the Philippine Island should be brought home at once. Johnson served as the26th and 34thgovernor of Colorado from January 10, 1933 until January 1, 1937 and from January 11, 1955 until January 8, 1957.[3] He opposed FDR’sNew Deal policies.[4]
He was perhaps best known for presenting a speech on March 14, 1950, on the Senate floor, criticizing the extramarital affair of actressIngrid Bergman, who at the time was married to Petter Lindström. Bergman's affair with Italian directorRoberto Rossellini became acause célèbre as a result of Johnson's speech, forcing her to relocate to Europe for several years. Johnson then proposed a bill where movies would be licensed based on the perceived morality of the actors/actresses and stated that Bergman “had perpetrated an assault upon the institution of marriage,” and called her “a powerful influence for evil.”
Prior to the discovery of her affair, Ingrid Bergman had been Johnson’s favorite actress. He felt that he had been deceived by the incident, and wished to ban her from any future Hollywood productions.[4]
Bergman returned toHollywood in the 1956 blockbuster filmAnastasia. In 1972,SenatorCharles H. Percy ofIllinois entered an apology into theCongressional Record for Johnson’s attack, which had been made on Bergman twenty-two years earlier.[5]
Johnson is also known for the alternative he presented to mankind in November 1945: "God Almighty in His infinite wisdom [has] dropped the atomic bomb in our lap." Now for the first time the United States, "with vision and guts and plenty of atomic bombs," could "compel mankind to adopt the policy of lasting peace … or be burned to a crisp."[6]
Johnson was a Zionist who supported the establishment ofIsrael.[7]
Johnson was also the President of theWestern League, a Class A baseball league, from 1947 to 1955. He was instrumental in the construction of Bears Stadium /Mile High Stadium, and was inducted in 1968 into theColorado Sports Hall of Fame.
He died atSaint Joseph Hospital inDenver and is interred at theFairmount Mausoleum atFairmount Cemetery in Denver. The eastbound bore of theEisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel is named for Johnson.[8]
Media related toEdwin C. Johnson at Wikimedia Commons| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Colorado 1932,1934 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromColorado (Class 2) 1936,1942,1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Colorado 1954 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Colorado 1931–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Colorado 1933–1937 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Colorado 1955–1957 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Colorado 1937–1955 Served alongside:Alva B. Adams,Eugene D. Millikin | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee 1947–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Wallace H. White | Chair of theSenate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee 1947–1953 | |
| Preceded by Charles W. Tobey | Ranking Member of theSenate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee 1953–1955 | Succeeded by |
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| Interstate Commerce (1887–1947) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce/Commerce (1947–1977) | ||
| Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1977–present) | ||
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