Sam Johnson

For other people named Samuel Johnson, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation).

Sam Johnson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office May 8, 1991
Preceded by	Steve Bartlett
Personal details
Born	(1930-10-11) October 11, 1930 San Antonio, Texas
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Shirley Johnson
Residence	Plano, Texas
Alma mater	Southern Methodist University, George Washington University
Occupation	construction executive
Awards	Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Purple Heart (2) Air Medal (4) Prisoner of War Medal USAF Outstanding Unit Award (3)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1950–1979
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War

Samuel Robert "Sam" Johnson (born October 11, 1930) is an American politician and a retired career U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He currently is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Texas (map). The district includes much of northeastern Dallas, as well as Plano, where he lives.

Biography

Johnson grew up in Dallas and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and Southern Methodist University. He served a 29-year career in the United States Air Force, where he served as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School and flew the F-100 Super Sabre with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. He commanded the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead AFB, Florida and an air division at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, retiring as a Colonel.

He is a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars as a fighter pilot. During the Korean War, he flew 62 combat missions in the F-86 Sabre. During the Vietnam War, Johnson flew the F-4 Phantom II.

In 1966, while flying his 25th combat mission in Vietnam, he was shot down over North Vietnam. He was a prisoner of war for seven years, including 42 months in solitary confinement. During this period, he was repeatedly tortured.

Johnson was part of a group of about a 11 prisoners known as the "Alcatraz Gang": George Thomas Coker, George McKnight, Jeremiah Denton, Harry Jenkins, James Stockdale, James Mulligan, Howard Rutledge, Robert Shumaker, Ronald Storz and Nels Tanner; which was separated from other captives and placed in solitary confinement for their leadership in resisting their captors. "Alcatraz" was a special facility in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, located about one mile away from Hoa Lo Prison. In Alcatraz, each of the 11 men were kept in solitary confinement, where cells measured 3 feet by 9 feet that had a light bulb kept on around the clock and they were locked each night in irons by a guard.

Johnson recounted the details of his POW experience in his autobiography, Captive Warriors.

A decorated war hero, Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Combat "V" for Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. He was also retroactively awarded the Prisoner of War Medal following its establishment in 1985. He walks with a noticeable limp, due to an old war injury.

After his military career, he established a homebuilding business in Plano. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1984 and was reelected four times. On May 8, 1991, he was elected to the House in a special election caused by eight-year incumbent Steve Bartlett's resignation to become mayor of Dallas. He won a full term in 1992 and has been reelected seven times. He has never faced substantive opposition in what is arguably the most Republican district in the Metroplex; the 3rd has been in Republican hands since 1968. In fact, the Democrats did not even field a candidate in 1992, 1994, 1998 or 2004.

Johnson is married to the former Shirley L. Melton, of Dallas. They are parents of three children and ten grandchildren.

In 1990, Johnson was inducted into the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame.

Congressman Johnson serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a non-denominational, Christian organization established by Bill Gothard for the purpose of resolving youth and family conflicts. In October 2009, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society rewarded Johnson the National Patriot Award, the Society's highest civilian award given to Americans who exemplify patriotism and strive to better the nation.

Political positions

In the House, Johnson is an ardent conservative. By some views, Johnson had the most conservative record in the House for three consecutive years, opposing pork barrel projects of all kinds, voting for more IRAs and against extending unemployment benefits. The conservative watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste has consistently rated him as being friendly to taxpayers.

Johnson is a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and joined Dan Burton, Ernest Istook and John Doolittle in refounding it in 1994 after Newt Gingrich pulled its funding. He alternated as chairman with the other three co-founders from 1994 to 1999, and served as sole chairman from 2000 to 2001.

On the Ways and Means Committee, he was an early advocate and, then, sponsor of the successful repeal in 2000 of the earnings limit for Social Security recipients. He proposed the Good Samaritan Tax Act to permit corporations to take a tax deduction for charitable giving of food. He chairs the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, where he has encouraged small business owners to expand their pension and benefits for employees.

Johnson is a skeptic of calls for increased government regulation related to global warming whenever such government interference would, in his mind, restrict personal liberties or damage economic growth and American competitiveness in the market place. He also opposes 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. He has expressed his belief that the Earth has untapped sources of fuel, and has called for allowing additional drilling for oil in Alaska.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Social Security (Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

• Immigration Reform Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Public Pension Reform Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

2004 campaign

Johnson ran unopposed by the Democratic Party in his district in the 2004 election. Paul Jenkins, an independent, and James Vessels, a member of the Libertarian 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).

2006 campaign

Johnson ran for re-election in 2006, defeating his Republican opponent Robert Edward Johnson in the Republican primary, 85% to 15%.

In the general election, Johnson faced Democrat Dan Dodd and Libertarian Christopher J. Claytor. Both Dodd and Claytor are West Point graduates. Dodd served two tours of duty in Vietnam and Claytor served in Operation Southern Watch in Kuwait in 1992. [1] It was only the fourth time that Johnson had faced Democratic opposition.

Johnson retained his seat, taking 62.5% of the vote, while Democrat Dodd received 34.9% and Libertarian Claytor received 2.6%. However, this was far less than in years past, when Johnson won by margins of 80 percent or more.

2008 campaign

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2008 § District 3

Johnson retained his seat in the House of Representatives by defeating Democratic nominee Tom Daley and Libertarian nominee Christopher J. Claytor in the 2008 general election. He won with 59.74% of the vote, an unusually low total for such a heavily Republican district.

2010 campaign

Johnson won reelection with 66.3% of the vote against Democrat John Lingenfelder (31.3%) and Libertarian Christopher Claytor (2.4%).

See also

• List of Korean War veterans who are recipients of the Bronze Star

External links

• U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson official House site
• Sam Johnson for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile at SourceWatch
• USA Today Profile
• The Smithsonian Institution's Tribute To Sam Johnson
• Texas Nonprofit Is Cleared After GOP-Prompted Audit: Group Says Probe Was 'Political Retaliation' by DeLay Allies, Washington Post, February 27, 2006