Jed Joseph Johnson Jr. (December 27, 1939 – December 16, 1993) was an American politician who served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for Oklahoma's 6th congressional district from 1965 to 1967. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and education

Born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the son of Jed J. Johnson and Beatrice Johnson (), Johnson attended public schools in

Chickasha, Oklahoma Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,036 at the 2010 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The city is named for and strongly connecte ...

, and

Friends Seminary Friends Seminary is an independent K-12 school in Manhattan within the landmarked district in the East Village. The oldest continuously coeducational school in New York City, Friends Seminary serves 794 students in Kindergarten through Grade 1 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He served as a congressional page and graduated from the Capitol Page School in Washington, D.C., in 1957. He graduated from the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

in 1961.

Career

Johnson served as a delegate to the International Student Movement for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Conference at Lund, Sweden, in 1961, and as president of the United States Youth Council from 1962 to 1964. He led a delegation from the organization to West Africa in 1963, and served as a member of the United States National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. He served three years as a nongovernmental observer at the United Nations. Elected at the age of twenty-four, Johnson was the second youngest person ever elected to the U.S. Congress, the youngest being William C. C. Claiborne. Taking his U.S. House seat just six days after his twenty-fifth birthday, he was the youngest House member to legally assume office. On November 15, 1964, twelve days after his election victory, Johnson appeared on the CBS Television Network quiz show ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' featuring guest panelist Groucho Marx. Johnson served as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 89th Congress from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1967. Johnson voted in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966 to the 90th Congress. He served as special assistant to the Director of the

Office of Economic Opportunity The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda. It was established in 1964 as an ...

from 1967 to 1968, and as a member of the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

from 1968 to 1972. He was also a consultant to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities in 1973.

Personal life

He resided in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, and served as executive director of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress from 1974 until his death. Johnson died in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 16, 1993, as the result of a

cerebral aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circula ...

. He was survived by his wife, Sydney, and daughters Alice and Sydney.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Johnson, Jed Jr.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jed Joseph Jr. 1939 births 1993 deaths People from Washington, D.C. People from Chickasha, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma 20th-century American politicians Friends Seminary alumni