Bennett Johnston Jr.
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John Bennett Johnston, Jr. (born June 10, 1932), is a wealthy Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist who was a U.S. Democratic Party politician and United States senator from Louisiana from 1972 until 1997.
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[edit] Early Life
Johnston was born in Shreveport and graduated from C.E. Byrd High School. He attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He served in the United States Army, Judge Advocate General Corps, Germany, 1956-1959. Johnston was narrowly elected in an at-large campaign to the [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana House of Representatives in 1964, along with two Republicans, Morley A. Hudson and Taylor W. O'Hearn, and two other Democrats from Caddo Parish, Algie Brown (1910-2004) and the late Frank Fulco, Sr. Hudson and O'Hearn were the first Republicans to serve in the legislature since Reconstruction.
Johnston was elected at-large to the Louisiana State Senate on February 6, 1968. One of the candidates that he defeated was the Republican Thomas Eaton Stagg, Jr., later a U.S. District Court judge in Shreveport. Johnston ran for governor of Louisiana in 1971 and lost narrowly to Edwin Washington Edwards in the Democratic runoff election.
[edit] Winning campaigns of 1972, 1978, and 1984
Johnston challenged Allen J. Ellender for Democratic renomination to the U.S. Senate in 1972. Ellender died during the campaign, and Johnston, with powerful name identification stemming from his gubernatorial bid only months earlier, won the primary easily. Johnston secured 79.4 percent of primary ballots, but 9.3 percent voted for the deceased Ellender. Johnston then defeated Republican Ben C. Toledano, a New Orleans attorney, and former Governor John McKeithen of Columbia, a fellow Democrat running as an independent in the general election. Johnston received 598,987 votes (55.2 percent) to McKeithen's 250,161 (23.1 percent), and Toledano's 206,846 (19.1 percent). Another 28,910 voters (2.6 percent) chose the American Independent Party candidate, Hall M. Lyons, then of Lafayette, son of Louisiana Republican pioneer Charlton Lyons. (The position was filled from July to November 1972 by Governor Edwards' first wife, Elaine Schwartzburg Edwards, who served as an interim senator.)
In office, Senator Johnston cultivated good relationships with the Louisiana media, for he realized that their collective portrayal of him would impact his electoral future. The state's newspaper gave Johnston wide coverage. The Alexandria Daily Town Talk's managing editor, Adras LaBorde, for instance gave wide coverage to both Johnston and colleague Russell B. Long.
In 1978, Johnston defeated then Democrat, later Republican, State Representative Louis Woody Jenkins of Baton Rouge in the jungle primary, 498,773 (59.4 percent) to 340,891 (40.6 percent). In 1984, he secured 838,181 votes (85.7 percent) to Republican Robert Max Ross of tiny Mangham in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana, who received 86,546 votes (8.9 percent). (A second minor candidate polled 5.4 percent.) Ross had also been a minor primary opponent to David C. Treen in the first ever Republican gubernatorial primary held in December 1971. Republicans made no serious party attempt to topple Johnston even though his Senate seat came up for election in the year of the Ronald W. Reagan reelection bid.
[edit] Johnston v. Duke
Johnston's closest re-election race was in 1990 against former Ku Klux Klansman and Republican candidate David Duke, who was not endorsed by his party's leadership. One of his Senate Republican colleagues, John C. Danforth of Missouri, endorsed Johnston. Many other Republicans also broke party ranks to support Johnston that year. Johnston defeated Duke in the jungle primary, 53-44 percent. Johnston retired after his fourth term ended in 1997; he was succeeded by his preferred candidate, fellow Democrat Mary Landrieu, daughter of the Carter HUD Secretary and former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu.
[edit] A "conservative" within the Democratic Caucus
A conservative within the Democratic caucus, Johnston broke with his party on some important issues. He voted to authorize use of military force in Iraq in 1991 and also in favor of the narrow confirmation of Clarence Thomas to be Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. However, in 1987, he had voted against President Reagan's choice of former Judge Robert H. Bork to be on the high court.
Johnston was one of the few Senate Democrats to vote against the Budget Act of 1993, which was strongly supported by President Clinton and many prominent members of the Democratic Party. Johnston was a firm advocate of the Flag Desecration Amendment while opposing abortion and most gun control measures. However, Johnston vote repeatedly against the Balanced Budget Amendment and giving the President the line-item veto, both of which were measures strongly favored by fiscal conservatives in both parties. On foreign policy issues, he frequently voted with more liberal Democrats, like terminating restrictions on travel to Cuba, and support for the U.N. and foreign aid measures.
Johnson was the only member of either house of Congress to vote against a 1995 resolution to allow Taiwan's president Lee Teng-hui to visit the United States. [1]
[edit] Losing out for majority leader to George Mitchell
In 1989, Johnston sought the position of majority leader but lost to George J. Mitchell of Maine. From 1972 to 1987, Johnston's Louisiana colleague was Russell Long. The two agreed on many issues and formed a close working relationship to deliver federal spending to Louisiana. On Long's death, Johnston delivered a moving eulogy at the funeral. Johnston continued the same kind of partnership with Long's successor, former Senator John B. Breaux, who served from 1987-2005.
Since leaving the Senate, Johnston has been a Washington-based lobbyist. He was a maximum contributor in 2004 to the presidential campaign of his former colleague Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. His son-in-law, former Democratic Representative Timothy J. Roemer of Indiana, was a member of the 9/11 Commission.
In 1997, Johnston was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield. He is a member of the Baptist Church; his wife, the former Mary Gunn, is Catholic.
[edit] References
Billy Hathorn, "The Republican Party in Louisiana, 1920-1980," Master's thesis (1980), Northwestern State University at Natchitoches
http://www.cityofwinnfield.com/museum.html
| Preceded by Elaine S. Edwards (D), interim |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Louisiana | Succeeded by Mary L. Landrieu (D) |
