Timothy V. Johnson | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 15th district |
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In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Tom Ewing |
Succeeded by | John Shimkus |
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
In office 1976-2000 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Champaign, Illinois, U.S. |
July 23, 1946
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | divorced |
Residence | Urbana, Illinois |
Alma mater | University of Illinois |
Occupation | attorney |
Timothy Vincent "Tim" Johnson (born July 23, 1946) was the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 15th congressional district, serving from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party and did not run for re-election in 2012.
Johnson was born in Champaign to Robert and Margaret Evans Johnson and spent his childhood in Urbana where he graduated from Urbana High School.
He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1964 followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Johnson majored in history and graduated in 1969 Phi Beta Kappa, receiving the Bronze tablet, an honor given to the top 3% of undergraduates. In 1972, Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law and was elected to the Order of the Coif, a national legal honor society.
In 1971, Johnson was elected to the city council of Urbana, Illinois.
In 1976, Johnson was elected to serve as a representative in Springfield, after besting five other Republican candidates in the 1976 Republican primary. Johnson remained a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 2000.
While running for re-election in 1980, a photograph was published showing Johnson had rigged a paper clip so that in his absence he would vote "yes" during any roll call; he initially denied installing it, but later said it was "accepted practice" in the legislature. Twenty years later, when Johnson ran for U.S. Congress, Mike Kelleher, his Democratic rival, had the story documented on a website dedicated to the photograph and Johnson's reactions, saying "It would be funny, if it weren't so serious..."