Cheryl Lynn Johnson (born May 8, 1960) is an American government official who served as the 36th

Clerk of the United States House of Representatives The clerk of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the United States House of Representatives, whose primary duty is to act as the chief record-keeper for the House. Along with the other House officers, the clerk is elect ...

from February 26, 2019, to June 30, 2023. Between January 3, 2023, and January 7, 2023, Johnson served as the acting presiding officer of the House while the election of a speaker for the

118th United States Congress The 118th United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House ...

was deadlocked until

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

was elected after 15 ballots.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Austin Johnson and Cynthia Terry Davis. Johnson graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

in 1980. She earned her J.D. degree from the

Howard University School of Law Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the old ...

in 1984. She is a graduate of the senior management program at the

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Career

In Congress, Johnson served as the director and counsel of the

United States House Committee on House Administration The United States House Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives, the security of the United States Capitol, and federal elections. History The Committee on Ho ...

's Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials, House Committee on Post Office, and Civil Service Subcommittee on Investigations. She worked with the Subcommittee chair, Bill Clay, to exercise oversight and legislative responsibility over the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

. Johnson served as the chief education and investigative counsel for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She was the principal policy advisor and spokesperson for the committee. She primarily focused on elementary and secondary education issues, juvenile justice, child nutrition, labor issues, and older Americans' employment and nutrition programs. After nearly twenty years in the House of Representatives, Johnson went on to serve in the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Government Relations for ten years, serving one of those years as director.

Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives

In late December 2018, Speaker-designate

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

named Johnson as her choice for the next Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the second African American to serve in the post after Lorraine C. Miller. On February 25, 2019, Johnson was sworn in as the 36th Clerk and assumed the role on February 26, 2019. She was preceded by Karen L. Haas. On January 3, 2023, pursuant to her duties as clerk, Johnson presided over the first session of the

until January 7, 2023, making her the first African American woman and person of color to wield the gavel for the U.S. House of Representatives. After fourteen failed attempts by the House to elect a Speaker, her presiding role concluded when Representative

was elected the 55th Speaker of the House in the 15th ballot. Johnson also served as Clerk during the

116th United States Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate, Senate and the United States House of Representati ...

(2019–2021) and

117th United States Congress The 117th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January ...

(2021–2023). After her presiding role, she was renominated, this time, by McCarthy, to remain Clerk during the

. In June 2023, she addressed the House to announce her resignation effective June 30, 2023, receiving a standing ovation from the representatives. She was succeeded by her deputy clerk,

Kevin McCumber Kevin F. McCumber (born 1979) is an American government official who has served as the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives since 2025. Previously, he was appointed acting clerk by Kevin McCarthy to replace Cheryl Johnson, who resig ...

Personal life

Johnson lives in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

, with her husband, Clarence Ellison, and their son. She is a member of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

and the

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

bars. She serves on the board of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church and the Faith and Politics Institute.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cheryl 1960 births Living people American lobbyists Clerks of the United States House of Representatives Lawyers from New Orleans Lawyers from Washington, D.C. University of Iowa alumni Howard University School of Law alumni 21st-century African-American women People from Chevy Chase, Maryland African-American government officials Smithsonian Institution people