Keen Johnson
Keen Johnson | |
---|---|
Simeon S. Willis | |
37th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
In office December 10, 1935 – October 9, 1939 | |
Governor | Happy Chandler |
Preceded by | Happy Chandler |
Succeeded by | Rodes K. Myers |
Personal details | |
Born | Brandon's Chapel, 89th Division | January 12, 1896
Battles/wars | World War I |
Keen Johnson (January 12, 1896 – February 7, 1970) was an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1939 to 1943; being the only journalist to have held that office.[1] After serving in World War I, Johnson purchased and edited the Elizabethtown Mirror newspaper. He revived the struggling paper, sold it to a competitor and used the profits to obtain his journalism degree from the University of Kentucky in 1922. After graduation, he became editor of The Anderson News, and in 1925, he accepted an offer to co-publish and edit the Richmond Daily Register.
In 1935, Johnson was chosen as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He was elected and served under Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler from 1935 to 1939. He had already secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1939 when Chandler resigned and elevated Johnson to governor so that Johnson could appoint Chandler to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of M. M. Logan. He went on to win a full gubernatorial term in the general election, defeating Republican King Swope. Johnson's desire to expand the state's social services was hampered by the financial strain imposed on the state by the outbreak of World War II. Nevertheless, he ran a fiscally conservative administration and took the state from being $7 million in debt to having a surplus of $10 million by the end of his term.
Following his term as governor, Johnson joined
Early life
Keen Johnson was born in a two-room cabin at Brandon's Chapel in Lyon County, Kentucky, on January 12, 1896.[2] He was the only son of Reverend Robert and Mattie (Holloway) Johnson.[3] His parents named him in honor of John S. Keen, a family friend from Adair County.[4] The Johnsons also had two daughters—Catherine (Keturah) and Christine.[5] Robert Johnson was a Methodist minister, and the family moved often as a result of his occupation.[2]
After completing his elementary education in the public schools, Johnson attended Vanderbilt Preparatory School for Boys, a Methodist institution in
After
On June 23, 1917, while still completing his military training, Johnson married Eunice Nichols. Their only child, a daughter named Judith, was born May 19, 1927.
After graduation, Johnson purchased half-ownership of The Anderson News and served as the paper's editor and publisher.[4] In 1925, Shelton M. Saufley asked Johnson to enter into a joint venture to purchase the Richmond Daily Register.[2] Lured by the idea of publishing a daily paper, Johnson accepted.[2] As a result of one of his editorials, Johnson was named executive secretary of the State Democratic Central Committee in 1932.[6] He continued to hold this position and publish the Register through 1939.[6]
Political career
In 1935, Johnson was one of three contenders for the Democratic nomination for
In the gubernatorial primary,
Governor of Kentucky
The division between Chandler and Laffoon led to factionalism within the state Democratic Party. When no strong gubernatorial candidate emerged from the Chandler faction in 1939, Chandler threw his support behind Johnson.
The Republicans chose King Swope, the loser in the 1935 gubernatorial election, to oppose Johnson.[10] In the middle of the campaign, however, Johnson was elevated to governor.[3] United States Senator M. M. Logan died in October 1939, and Governor Chandler resigned so that Johnson—thus elevated to governor—could appoint him to the vacant seat.[3] In the general election on November 17, Johnson defeated Swope 460,834 to 354,704, securing a full term as governor.[3]
In his inaugural address, Johnson promised to be "a saving, thrifty, frugal governor".[1] His policies helped him eliminate the state's debt of $7 million and left the treasury with a surplus of $10 million by the end of his term.[1] It was the first time the state had had a surplus since the administration of J. C. W. Beckham in 1903.[1] Johnson achieved the surplus without enacting any tax increases.[2] Not all in Johnson's party were happy with his approach to governing; one critic noted, "Old Keen frugaled here and frugaled there till he damn near frugaled us to death."[10]
In the 1940 legislative session, Johnson successfully lobbied the
Johnson's primary interest lay in improving the state's mental and penal institutions.[1] These improvements began under Governor Chandler, and while Johnson stated that the mental hospitals and prisons were in their best condition in forty years by the end of his term, he was disappointed that he was not able to do more. In light of the financial obligations brought about by World War II, he had to curb state construction.[1]
In the 1941 legislative session, Johnson vetoed a measure allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages to surrounding states, even those with laws forbidding alcohol sales.[12] The bill was very popular, and was supported by many of the state's powerful special interests.[12] It had passed the Kentucky House of Representatives by a vote of 84–0 and the Kentucky Senate by a vote of 31–3.[12] After Johnson's veto, the House reversed itself, voting 86–3 to sustain the veto.[12]
In the 1942 legislative session, Johnson stressed the importance of allowing Kentucky cities to purchase and distribute power from the Tennessee Valley Authority.[12] In an address to the Assembly, Johnson declared, "I have never had a stronger conviction on a question of public policy... The principle involved is as correct as the Ten Commandments."[12] The Assembly passed the necessary legislation as Johnson requested.[12]
A major accomplishment of the Johnson administration was the passage of a legislative redistricting bill.
Johnson took an active part in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1943. Among the candidates were Ben Kilgore,
Later life and death
Beginning in 1940, Johnson was a member of the State Democratic National Committee, serving until 1948.[6] On June 6, 1942, he was named to the board of regents of Eastern State College (now Eastern Kentucky University or EKU), a position he held for eight years. EKU's Keen Johnson Building, a 1939 Works Progress Administration project, was named in honor of him. The building and its clock tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the university's campus.[5]
Johnson developed a strong rapport with union leaders and in 1946, President Harry S. Truman and Kentucky Senator Alben Barkley asked him to accept an appointment to the newly created post of Undersecretary of Labor.[5] In August 1946, Johnson took a leave of absence from Reynolds and accepted the appointment.[2] He frequently attended President Truman's cabinet meetings due to the illness of Secretary Lewis B. Schwellenbach.[5]
In mid-1947, Johnson returned to Reynolds.[5] In 1950, he became a member of the company's board of directors.[5] In this capacity, he organized meetings of sales executives and traveled extensively to promote the company's aluminum products.[5] He retired from Reynolds in January 1961.[5]
In 1960, Johnson sought a seat in the U.S. Senate.
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Odgen, p. 178
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Powell, p. 96
- ^ a b c d e Harrison in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, p. 474
- ^ a b c d Odgen, p. 177
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Hay, "Guide to the Collection of Keen Johnson"
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kentucky Governor Keen Johnson". National Governors Association
- ^ Klotter, p. 304
- ^ a b Klotter, p. 317
- ^ a b Klotter, p. 306
- ^ a b c Klotter, p. 318
- ^ Klotter, pp. 318–319
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ogden, p. 179
- ^ a b c Klotter, p. 322
- ^ Harrison in A New History of Kentucky, p. 373
- ^ "Landscaping Project to Give Facelift to Keen Johnson Building". Eastern Kentucky University. Eastern Kentucky University. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ "University of Kentucky Alumni Association – Keen Johnson"
Sources
- ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- ISBN 0-8131-2008-X.
- Hay, Charles; Rebecca Quillen. "Guide to the Collection of Keen Johnson". Eastern Kentucky University. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "Kentucky Governor Keen Johnson". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ISBN 0-916968-24-3.
- Ogden, Frederic D. (2004). "Keen Johnson". In Lowell Hayes Harrison (ed.). Kentucky's Governors. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2326-7.
- Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. Danville, Kentucky: Bluegrass Printing Company. OCLC 2690774.
- "University of Kentucky Alumni Association – Keen Johnson". University of Kentucky. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
Further reading
- Beasley, Mark (1985). Keen Johnson's unsuccessful race for the United States Senate in 1960. Eastern Kentucky University.
- Fraas, Elizabeth M. (1984). Keen Johnson: newspaperman and governor. University of Kentucky.
- Jillson, Willard Rouse (1940). Governor Keen Johnson: A Biographical Sketch. State Journal Company.