Tom Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 48th district | |
| In office January 2011 – January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Randy Hultgren |
| Succeeded by | Andy Manar (redistricted) |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 50th district | |
| In office January 1993 – January 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Hensel |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Reid Lindner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 30, 1945 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 2018 (aged 73) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Virginia “Ginger” Van Der Molen Johnson |
| Residence(s) | West Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) DePaul University (JD) |
| Profession | attorney |
Thomas Lee Johnson (April 30, 1945 – December 3, 2018) was a Republican Illinois State Senator. He represented the 48th district in the Illinois Senate from 2011 to 2013. Johnson previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003.[1][2]
Born in California and raised in South Dakota and Illinois, Johnson was the son of an ordained minister.[3] Johnson graduated from Oak Lawn Community High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1963 and then served in the Army from 1966 until 1968.[4] He then earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan in 1970.[4] He then earned a J.D. degree from the DePaul University College of Law in 1974.[4]
Johnson began his career in 1974 as a prosecutor in DuPage County, Illinois, rising to become the chief of its white-collar crime division.[4] Johnson then cofounded his own law firm in 1979.[4] He ran for U.S. Congress as a Republican in 1984, but lost in the primary to John E. Grotberg.[5][4][6]
In 1992, Johnson won election to the 50th district[6] in the Illinois House, where he served for the next 10 years.[4] He served in a heavily Republican district that stretched from western DuPage County to St. Charles, Illinois.[7] He chose not to seek re-election in 2002.[7]
Johnson would then go on to serve on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.[4]
In 2010, Johnson was appointed to an Illinois Senate seat to fill the vacancy left by the ascension of Randy Hultgren to U.S. Congress.[7]
Johnson died of cancer on December 3, 2018.[4]