Johnson, Timothy Peter (1946-…), was a member of the United States Senate from 1997 to 2015. A Democrat from South Dakota, Johnson was especially concerned with legislation affecting agriculture and with issues involving senior citizens.
Johnson was born in Canton, South Dakota, on Dec. 28, 1946. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1969, a master’s degree in political science in 1970, and a law degree in 1975, all from the University of South Dakota. Johnson served in the U.S. Army in 1969. In 1970 and 1971, Johnson did postgraduate study in political science at Michigan State University. In 1971 and 1972, he served as budget adviser to the Michigan state Senate Appropriations Committee.
In 1975, Johnson began a private law practice in Vermillion, South Dakota. He served in the South Dakota state House of Representatives from 1979 to 1982 and in the state Senate from 1983 to 1986. In 1985, Johnson was deputy state’s attorney for Clay County, South Dakota.
Johnson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1986. He was reelected four times and served until 1997. In 1996, he was elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate. He took office in 1997. Johnson was reelected to the Senate in 2002. In December 2006, Johnson suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, bleeding into the brain from a ruptured blood vessel. Johnson underwent rehabilitation in the first several months of 2007. During this time, Johnson did not vote in the Senate, but in February he cosponsored legislation to provide emergency disaster relief to farmers. Johnson returned to the Senate in September 2007. He was reelected in 2008.
In the Senate, Johnson served as chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. He also served on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Indian Affairs Committee. Johnson did not seek reelection to his Senate seat in the 2014 elections.
