Jay Johnson (politician)

For other uses, see Jay Johnson (disambiguation).

Jay Withington Johnson (September 30, 1943 – October 17, 2009) was an American politician and journalist who served as the 36th director of the United States Mint, and one-term member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin. He was also a television news anchor in Green Bay, Wisconsin for WFRV-TV and WLUK-TV.^[1]

Jay Johnson
36th Director of the United States Mint
In office May 2000 – August 2001
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by	Philip N. Diehl
Succeeded by	Henrietta H. Fore
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Toby Roth
Succeeded by	Mark Green
Personal details
Born	(1943-09-30)September 30, 1943 Bessemer, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 17, 2009(2009-10-17) (aged 66) Bristow, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Stonewall Memory Gardens Manassas, Virginia
Political party	Democratic
Education	Gogebic Community College (AA) Northern Michigan University (BA) Michigan State University (MA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1966–1968
Unit	Brooke Army Medical Center

Early life and education

Johnson was born in Bessemer, Michigan and graduated from Bessemer High School. He earned an associate degree in speech from Gogebic Community College in 1963 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech from Northern Michigan University in 1965. Johnson was an information specialist with the United States Army from 1966 until 1968. He was on the board of directors of the Wisconsin United Way. Johnson received a master's degree in radio and television arts from Michigan State University in 1970.^[2]

Career

Journalism

Johnson was a broadcaster and journalist working in Michigan, Indiana, and Florida before settling Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he worked for 16 years at WFRV-TV and WLUK-TV.

Politics

In 1996, Johnson was elected to represent Wisconsin's 8th congressional district in the 105th United States Congress after 18-year incumbent Toby Roth chose not to run for a 10th term. He was the fourth Democrat to represent the district in the 20th century. He was defeated after one term by State Assemblyman Mark Green in 1998. In August 1999, Johnson was nominated by President Bill Clinton to become Director of the United States Mint. He was confirmed by the United States Senate in May 2000 and served until his successor was appointed by President George W. Bush in August 2001.^[3] After leaving the U.S. Mint, he was self-employed, selling wholesale coins and was the chief numismatist for The Franklin Mint.^[4]

On June 29, 2009, Goldline International, Inc., announced that Johnson had become a spokesperson for their company.^[5]

Death

On October 17, 2009, Johnson died at his home in Bristow, Virginia, of an apparent heart attack. He was survived by his wife, JoLee, and his two stepchildren.^[6][7]

Electoral history

Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District Election, 1996^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Democratic Primary Election, September 10, 1996
	Democratic	Jay W. Johnson	18,293	59.06%
	Democratic	Stan Gruszynski	12,681	40.94%
Total votes			30,974	100.0%
General Election, November 5, 1996
	Democratic	Jay W. Johnson	129,551	52.04%	+15.77%
	Republican	David Prosser, Jr.	119,398	47.96%
Plurality			10,153	4.08%	-23.38%
Total votes			248,949	100.0%	+38.78%
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing	31.54%

Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District Election, 1998^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 3, 1998
	Republican	Mark Andrew Green	112,418	54.61%
	Democratic	Jay W. Johnson (incumbent)	93,441	45.39%	−6.65%
Plurality			18,977	9.22%	+5.14%
Total votes			205,859	100.0%	-17.31%
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing	13.30%