David Johnson (Iowa politician)
David J. Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Iowa Senate from the 1st district 3rd (2003-2011) | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Veenstra |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 6th district | |
| In office January 13, 1997 – January 13, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Van de Hoef |
| Succeeded by | Greg Stevens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1950 (age 73–74) West Branch, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (until 2016) Independent (2016–present) |
| Residence(s) | Ocheyedan, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Beloit College |
| Occupation | Dairy farmer |
| Website | Johnson's website |
David Johnson (born 1950) is the Iowa State Senator from the 1st District and is an assistant minority leader.[1] A former Republican and currently independent,[2] he has served in the Iowa Senate since 2003 and served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1999–2003. He received his B.A. in History from Beloit College.
Johnson currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate – the Appropriations committee; the Education committee; the Human Resources committee; the Natural Resources committee; and the Agriculture committee, where he is the ranking member. He also serves as the ranking member of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
2006 election
In his 2006 bid for re-election Johnson received 12,328 votes (57%), defeating Democratic opponent Mel Berryhill.[3]
Early life and education
Johnson was born and raised in West Branch, Iowa and graduated from West Branch High School. He then went on to obtain his B.A. in history from Beloit College in Wisconsin.[4]
Career
After graduating college, he went on three scientific expeditions. For all three trips to Antarctica and the Arctic, he was the camp manager. Outside politics, Johnson works on an Osceola County dairy farm. He then went on to become a newspaper publisher and editor where he won a number of awards for his work in journalism. For several years he served as president of the Chamber of Commerce.[4]
In July 2015, upon receiving an email from a teacher asking for him to reconsider his stance on an education vote, Senator Johnson wrote "quit whining". [5]
In June 2016, Johnson changed his party affiliation to "No Party", citing his opposition to the Republican Party's support for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. He stated, "Many of the voters who elected me are supporting Mr. Trump. I respect that, but disagree that he is qualified to lead the nation and the free world."[2][6]
Awards and honors
Johnson has won a number of awards from the following:
- Distinguished Service Award
- Iowa Newspaper Association
- Iowa FFA and Iowa High School Football Coaches Association
- Legislator of the Year
- Iowa Izaak Walton League
- Iowa Agribusiness Association
- Iowa Biotechnology Association and Iowa Safe Kids Coalition
- Guardian of Small Business Award — National Federation of Independent Business
- Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities
- Iowa Health Care Association
- Iowa Dental Association[4]
References
- ^ "State Senator". Iowa Legislative Services Agency. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ a b Petroski, William (June 7, 2016). "Iowa GOP lawmaker dumps party to protest Trump". Des Moines Register.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c "David Johnson". Iowa Senate Republican Caucus. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ http://qctimes.com/news/local/education/iowa-state-senator-to-waterloo-teacher-quit-whining/article_fecb8373-47f3-5202-96cc-c70352cbcf73.html
- ^ Jacobs, Ben (June 7, 2016). "Iowa state senator is first elected official to leave Republican party over Trump". The Guardian.
External links
- Senator David Johnson official Iowa Legislature site
- Senator David Johnson official Iowa General Assembly site
- Senator David Johnson at Iowa Senate Republican Caucus
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics