Paul Burney Johnson Sr. (March 23, 1880December 26, 1943) was an American attorney, judge, and politician, serving as

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Mississippi, 1919–1923, and as

Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

, 1940–1943.

Early career

From 1907 to 1908 Johnson served as a judge of the city court of

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The ci ...

. Two years later he became circuit judge of the 12th judicial district, with his tenure ending in 1919.

Political career

In 1918 Johnson was elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, serving from 1919 to 1923. During this period, he developed a friendship with

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, Assistant Secretary of Navy and future

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, and his family. Their children played together. White, Theodore H. (1965), ''The Making of the President, 1964'', New York: Atheneum, p. 218 In

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

, Johnson won the race for

. A supporter of

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

measures, Johnson presided over numerous progressive reforms during his tenure.Mississippi A History By Westley F. Busbee, 2015, P.270-272
/ref> Johnson died in office in 1943. His son,

Paul B. Johnson Jr. Paul Burney Johnson Jr. (January 23, 1916October 14, 1985) was an American attorney and Democratic politician from Mississippi, serving as the 54th governor from January 1964 until January 1968. He was a son of former Mississippi Governor Paul ...

, was serving in the Marines in the Pacific during World War II at the time. More than 20 years later, he was elected as governor in 1964. His grandson, Pete Johnson, was elected

state auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, or state examiners, among others) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, program eval ...

in 1988. Paul B. Johnson State Park, a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in Mississippi, is named after him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Paul B. Sr. 1880 births 1943 deaths Mississippi state court judges Democratic Party governors of Mississippi Politicians from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi 20th-century American judges People from Scott County, Mississippi American segregationists 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives