Dean Johnson
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Dean Elton Johnson (born June 24, 1947) was formerly the majority leader of the Minnesota Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in 1982 and represented the 13th Senate District. He is widowed, has one child, two grandchildren, and is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College, a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He is a chaplain holding General's rank in the National Guard. He resides in Willmar, Minnesota. In 2000, Senator Johnson switched parties, leaving the Republicans to join the DFL.
Johnson's wife of 21 years, Avonelle Johnson, died of cancer in 2005.
In March of 2006 there was a controversy over remarks Johnson made in January of that year to a group of pastors. Johnson said he had a conversation with an unnamed Minnesota Supreme Court justice. This justice supposedly gave Johnson informal assurances that the court would not overturn Minnesota's statute defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The concern was that the Minnesota Supreme Court might strike down Minnesota statue the way the Massachusetts Supreme Court had struck down a similar statute in that state, thus legalizing gay marriage. When a tape recording of these remarks surfaced, the justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court denied that any such conversation had ever taken place. Republicans filed an ethics complaint against Johnson. Johnson subsequently apologized for embellishing the story. This was in the context of a failed attempt by conservatives to put on the fall state ballot a proposed amendment to the Minnesota's constitution that, if passed, would have made it impossible for the state court to overturn the current marriage statute as unconstitutional.
This controversy contributed to Johnson losing his senate seat to Republican Joe Gimse in the November 2006 election.
In 2007, Johnson was selected as a Regent of the University of Minnesota.
