Royal Cleaves Johnson (October 3, 1882 – August 2, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

and a highly decorated veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

while he was still a member of Congress. Despite voting against United States declaration of war on Germany, he took a leave of absence from Congress to enlist. He became a highly decorated veteran receiving the Distinguished Service Cross from the United States government. He also received the War Cross 1914–1918 from the French government.

Early life and education

Royal Cleaves Johnson was born in

Cherokee, Iowa Cherokee is a city and the county seat of in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 Census, down from 5,369 in 2000. History Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870, and was named for the Southeast Indian ...

in 1882. He moved with his parents to

Highmore, South Dakota Highmore is a city in and county seat of Hyde County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 682 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Highmore has been in operation since 1882. The city was named from its lofty elevation ...

in 1883, and attended the public schools. He graduated from the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school ...

in 1906, and was admitted to the bar that same year.

Career

He started his practice in Highmore. He became the assistant state's attorney for Hyde County in 1906, and State's Attorney in 1908 and 1909. In 1910, he became the

Attorney General of South Dakota Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gov ...

. In 1913, he moved to

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen () is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,495. making it the third-most populous city in the state. Aberdeen is home of Northern State University. ...

and returned to private practice. He was elected to the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

in 1915, serving through the end of the Seventy-Second Congress in 1932. He was the chairman for the

Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

(1921–1925), and the Committee on World War Veteran's Legislation (1929–1932). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1932.

World War I

In 1918, even though he had on April 5, 1917, voted against declaring war on Germany, he absented himself from the Congress and enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

to fight in World War I. He served in the 313th Infantry Regiment as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

, second lieutenant, and

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. In Montfaucon, France, on the 26th and 27 September 1918, he was involved in a combat situation wherein he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire and was wounded by an exploding shell. Although severely wounded, he accompanied two of his fellow soldiers to the rear and refused space in an ambulance until his comrades were cared for. For this, he received the Distinguished Service Cross from the United States government, the citation for which reads: He also received the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

with gold star from the Republic of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

The American Legion

After Johnson returned from the war, he resumed his seat in Congress. Johnson was the House sponsor of legislation to create a federal charter for

The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, in turn made up of local posts. It was established ...

. The Senate co-sponsor was Sen.

Josiah Wolcott Josiah Oliver Wolcott (October 31, 1877 – November 11, 1938) was an American lawyer, politician and judge, from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as Attorney General of Delaware, U.S. Senator ...

of Delaware. The bill was filed on June 27, 1919, passed the House on August 27, passed the Senate on September 5 and was signed by President Wilson on September 16, 1919.

Later life

In 1930, in a speech before the US War Policies Commission, Johnson advocated for legislation that called for the mandatory conscription of "everything", including all private property and all United States citizens, should war be declared. The proposal was intended to address war profiteering, in solidarity with members of the American armed forces. Upon retiring from the House, Johnson continued to practice law in

Washington, D.C. 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. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, until his death there in 1939. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. In 1953 he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by The American Legion.

Legacy

The Veterans Administration hospital in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, The Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Medical Center, is named in his honor.

Awards

Johnson's awards and decorations included the following:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Royal C. 1882 births 1939 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery District attorneys in South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota People from Cherokee, Iowa People from Hyde County, South Dakota People from Washington, D.C. Politicians from Aberdeen, South Dakota Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota South Dakota attorneys general South Dakota lawyers United States Army officers University of South Dakota alumni 20th-century American lawyers Washington, D.C., Republicans Military personnel from Iowa Phi Delta Theta members 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives