Lanny Johnson

Neal Lane "Lanny" Johnson
Louisiana State Representative from District 20 (Franklin and Tensas parishes)
In office 1976–1980
Preceded by	Lantz Womack
Succeeded by	Glen L. Williams
Personal details
Born	1940 Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carol Shipp Johnson
Children	Taylor Lance Johnson
Alma mater	Ouachita Parish High School University of Louisiana at Monroe
Occupation	Educator
Religion	Baptist
Johnson has served as school superintendent in three Louisiana parishes and was elected to a single term to the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Neal Lane Johnson, known as Lanny Johnson (born 1940), is an American school superintendent in Winnsboro, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 1980. Johnson filled the District 20 seat vacated by Lantz Womack, a banker and farmer from Winnsboro, who ran unsuccessfully for state agriculture commissioner in the first-ever nonpartisan blanket primary held in Louisiana on November 1, 1975.

Four years later, Johnson ran unsuccessfully in the primary for the Louisiana State Senate. The victor in the 1979 general election was his state House colleague, Dan Richey, then of Ferriday in Concordia Parish, a Democrat who years later switched to Republican affiliation. Richey defeated Mary Lou Winters of Columbia, the seat of Caldwell Parish, the then Democratic national committeewoman. A former House member, David I. Patten, a contractor from Harrisonburg, the seat of Catahoula Parish, also ran unsuccessfully in the senatorial primary.

From the 1970s to 1984, Johnson, originally from Ouachita Parish, was a schoolteacher, administrator, or superintendent for the Tensas Parish School Board in St. Joseph. The Tensas superintendent now is his wife, the former Carol Shipp (born 1941), originally from Bosco, also in Ouachita Parish.

Johnson graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe and at eighteen played basketball at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then Northeast Louisiana State College, under coach Lenny Fant, who became a close friend and often supplied Johnson with humorous references for use in political speeches. Johnson was ULM's first All-American and he led the Warhawks in 1961–1962 to a 17–8 record and to their first Gulf South Conference championship. In 1962, Johnson made both the Associated Press and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics listings. Johnson led the GSC in scoring for his last two seasons at ULM. He produced eight 30-point games and concluded his career with ULM's all-time scoring record with 1,366 points. Johnson also holds a Ph.D. in education. In 1982 he was inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame for his 1958–1962 seasons at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

From 1984 to 2004, Johnson was the superintendent of the Ouachita Parish schools, distinct from the Monroe city system. In Ouachita Parish, he presided over a widespread school expansion program. In 2004, he accepted the superintendency of the financially troubled Franklin Parish schools, where he still serves from his office in Winnsboro. After the failure of several tax propositions, Johnson procured funding for construction and renovation of certain schools.

Lanny and Carol Johnson reside on Lake Bruin near St. Joseph. They have one son, Taylor Lance Johnson (born 1978).

References

Preceded by Lantz Womack

Louisiana State Representative from District 20 (Franklin and Tensas parishes) Lanny Johnson 1976–1980

Succeeded by Glen L. Williams