Pete Johnson (politician)
Pete Johnson | |
---|---|
1st Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority | |
In office 2002–2011 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Chris Masingill |
38th State Auditor of Mississippi | |
In office January 7, 1988 – 1992 | |
Preceded by | Ray Mabus |
Succeeded by | Steve Patterson |
Personal details | |
Born | Patrick Hayes Johnson Jr. May 12, 1948 Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S. |
Political party |
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Alma mater | |
Patrick Hayes "Pete" Johnson Jr. (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer who served as State Auditor of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992. Originally a Democrat, he joined the Republican Party in 1989, thus becoming the first Republican to hold statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1991. He served as Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority from 2002 to 2011.
Early life
Patrick Hayes "Pete" Johnson Jr.[1] was born on May 12, 1948, in Alexandria, Louisiana.[2] Both his grandfather, Paul B. Johnson Sr., and uncle, Paul B. Johnson Jr., served as Governor of Mississippi.[3] He graduated from Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1966. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi in 1971 and a Juris Doctor degree from Jackson School of Law in 1974. Johnson thereafter joined the Bank of Clarksdale as a senior vice president and also served as president of the Young Bankers Section of the Mississippi Bankers Association. He then formed a financial planning firm. He married Margaret Birdsong and had two daughters with her.[4] While working as an ambulance driver in the 1960s, he contracted hepatitis C, for which he was formally diagnosed in 1987.[4][5]
Political career
Early activities and state auditor tenure
Johnson was initially a member of the Democratic Party.[6] He twice ran to represent Mississippi's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, in 1982 and 1986, in both instances losing in the Democratic primaries to Robert G. Clark Jr. and Mike Espy, respectively.[7] In 1984, Governor William Allain appointed him Chair of the Mississippi Marketing Council.[4] On May 28, 1987, he declared his candidacy for the office of State Auditor.[8] He secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Al Gary in a primary runoff in late August[9] and defeated Republican city councilman Danny Ware in the November general election.[7]
Incumbent auditor Ray Mabus was elected Governor the same election.[7] During his tenure, Mabus had collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a corruption investigation into Mississippi county governments—known as Operation Pretense—and pushed for various reforms to reduce official malfeasance.[10] Before taking office, Johnson appointed a Committee on Reform of County Government.[11] He assumed the auditor's office on January 7, 1988. Early on in his tenure, he continued the anti-corruption efforts of his predecessor, warning county boards of supervisors about misuse of resources and threatening to claw back misspent funds, though by early May he had announced that he would wait for outstanding legal issues surrounding purchasing standards to be settled before seeking more claw backs.[3]
Johnson's reform committee compiled a report suggesting structural issues with the beat system of county government and advising counties to transition to a unit form of government.[11][a] While Mabus pushed for state unit legislation which would mandate that county road construction would be considered in a unified, professional manner, Johnson appealed to the county supervisors to voluntarily commit to centralized management of road construction. The two men entered a dispute when Johnson released a report predicting that switching to unit forms of government would be expensive for counties; Mabus accused him of inflating the projections.[14] A referendum was held in November 1988 which led to several counties voting to switch to unit systems. The auditor's office was tasked with overseeing the transition and Johnson threatened to cut off funds from Tallahatchie County to ensure its supervisors' compliance.[15]
Party switch and gubernatorial campaign
In early 1989, Johnson announced he was
Later life
After Johnson left office, he began working in the Mississippi office of the
Notes
- ^ Under the beat system, each supervisor on a given board is responsible for managing road construction in their assigned district, or beat. Under the unit system, road construction considerations are handled in a centralized manner by the entire board of supervisors and a county administrator and road manager.[12] At the time, many complaints of corruption in Mississippi county governments stemmed from alleged misuse of county road crews and materials, such as by graveling private driveways.[13]
References
- ^ Spear, Susie (September 16, 1991). "Political party split hasn't caused Johnson family feud". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 4B.
- ^ Branson, Reed (September 16, 1991). "Three in GOP governor's race share views, not backgrounds". The Commercial Appeal. pp. A1, A4.
- ^ a b Crockett 2003, p. 95.
- ^ a b c d e f g Criss, Jack (May 7, 2021). "Pete Johnson : A Life Of Service, Faith…And Quiet Resolve". Delta Business Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Stewart, Steve (July 30, 1999). "Remember Pete Johnson?". Enterprise-Journal. p. 2.
- ^ a b Nash & Taggart 2009, p. 226.
- ^ a b c Canerdy, Beverly (November 4, 1987). "Johnson easily win auditor's post; pledges to fight 'hint of meritocracy'". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 4A.
- ^ "Pete Johnson runs for State Auditor". The Columbian-Progress. May 28, 1987. p. 10A.
- ^ Davis, Dan (August 27, 1987). "Officials: Vote for youth cites yen for change". The Clarion-Ledger. pp. 1A, 11A.
- ^ Crockett 2003, pp. 90–92.
- ^ a b Crockett 2003, p. 111.
- ^ McLaurin, Mac (July 10, 2017). "County Government". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Mississippi Humanities Council. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Crockett 2003, pp. 90, 95.
- ^ Crockett 2003, pp. 96–97.
- ^ Crockett 2003, pp. 97–98, 118–119.
- ^ Krane & Shaffer 1992, p. 106.
- ^ Banks, Michael (December 5, 2018). "Pete Johnson: President Bush Was the Reason I Turned Republican". The Clarksdale Press Register. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c Lamis 1999, p. 254.
- ^ Lamis 1999, p. 257.
- ^ Lamis 1999, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Lamis 1999, p. 255.
- ^ Gordon, Mac (July 3, 1992). "Ex-state auditor expected to be named director of FmHA". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 5B.
- ^ "Pete Johnson named to head up state FmHA". The Clarksdale Press Register. Associated Press. July 16, 1992. p. 5.
- ^ Gordon, Mac (February 10, 1993). "2 Republican USDA appointees out of work". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 5B.
- ^ Gordon, Mac (May 6, 1996). "Ex-auditor rejects state offer for prison facility". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 2B.
- ^ "Johnson recovers after undergoing liver transplant surgery". The Clarksdale Press Register. May 23, 1996. p. 1.
- ^ "Mr. Pete Johnson, Federal Co-Chairman". Delta Regional Authority. Archived from the original on July 19, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
Sources
- Crockett, James R. (2003). Operation Pretense: The FBI's Sting on County Corruption in Mississippi. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578064960.
- Krane, Dale; Shaffer, Stephen D. (1992). Mississippi Government and Politics: Modernizers Versus Traditionalists. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803277588.
- Lamis, Alexander P., ed. (1999). Southern Politics in the 1990s. ISBN 9780807166765.
- Nash, Jere; Taggart, Andy (2009). Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2008 (second ed.). ISBN 9781604733570.