SIOUX FALLS, SD (AP) — Former Sen. Tim Johnson, a centrist who was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in South Dakota and who was adept at securing federal funding for projects in his home state during his nearly three decades in Washington, has died . He was 77.
Johnson, who was first elected to Congress in 1986 and retired from the Senate in 2015, died Tuesday night of complications from a recent stroke, family friend Steve Hildebrand said in a news release. He was surrounded by family.
“Tim always joked that neither the left nor the right had a monopoly on all good ideas, but that by working together we can find common ground for the good of our country,” Johnson’s family said in the press release. In his work and life, Tim has shown us that we should never give up.”
That resilience was put to the test in 2006. Just a month after Democrats retook the Senate by a one-vote margin, Johnson became disoriented during a media conference and underwent emergency brain surgery. He had suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage, leading to what many called an inappropriate round of speculation in Washington about which party would control the next Senate.
But nine months later he returned to Washington, physically weaker yet mentally sharp. He later joked by opening his first post-surgery media conference call with, “Like I said….”
Johnson, a fourth-generation South Dakotan, was known for his set demeanor, his unpredictable votes and his ability to secure federal funding for his state, including money that helped pay for the University of South Dakota’s medical sciences complex.
Democrats could never take his votes for granted. Johnson opposed his party by supporting a ban on abortion later in pregnancies and flag desecration. He also voted to confirm Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush.
And in one of the defining moments of his career, Johnson voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq in 2002, even though he had a very personal reason for opposing it. His son, Brooks, was a 32-year-old staff sergeant in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and was said to be one of the first sent to the region.
“I spoke to Brooks prior to this vote and his response was, ‘Dad, you do what’s right for the country and I’ll do what’s right as a soldier,’” Johnson recalled. “I said in the Senate that it is very likely that I would send my own son into battle.”
Brooks, who also served in Bosnia, Kosovo and South Korea, returned safely after serving in the Middle East.
Drey Samuelson, who served as Johnson’s chief of staff in Congress for 28 years, said Johnson appealed to both Republicans and Democrats because he worked hard and was willing to listen to both sides.
“He never saw himself as the Democratic congressman from South Dakota,” Samuelson said. “He saw himself as the South Dakota congressman or senator, regardless of party affiliation.”
The former senator joked about his reputation for being reserved.
“I know I get a rap for being these kind of strict Scandinavians, but I think we Scandinavians have a sense of humor too,” Johnson told The Associated Press in 2002. “I enjoy life. I think there are many things in life that are fun and that we can joke about. It would be a sad life for anyone who can’t laugh, and laugh at themselves.”
In December 2006, Johnson suffered a hemorrhage in his brain, caused by a birth defect. His illness raised the possibility that, if he became incapacitated, the Republican governor of South Dakota would appoint a Republican successor and the Senate, then controlled by Democrats 51-49, would return to Republican Party control. to take.
Johnson returned to his Senate office in September 2007, using a scooter and speaking slowly and slurred. Cameras jostled as he slid through the door next to South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a Republican, and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a Democrat. The staff cheered as he entered the office.
He continued to recover and subsequently won re-election. But in 2013, as South Dakota turned sharply Republican, he announced his intention to retire.
At the time, he said that in his 28 years in the House and Senate, it had become increasingly difficult to achieve bipartisan compromise because winning elections came to overshadow everything else.
“We have lost our way,” Johnson lamented in his farewell speech on December 11, 2014.
Born in Canton, South Dakota, Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota, where he also met his wife Barbara Brooks of Sioux Falls. Johnson went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration and a law degree from college.
Johnson started a law practice in Vermillion in 1975 and ran for statewide office in 1978. He served four years in the South Dakota House and another four years in the Senate before setting his sights on Washington.
He was elected to South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat in 1986 and served five terms before moving to the U.S. Senate in 1996.
Johnson was re-elected to the Senate in 2002, narrowly defeating Thune, then a congressman, by just over 500 votes.
“Known for his tenacity and work ethic, Tim was a steadfast leader who dedicated his life to serving the people of South Dakota with integrity and compassion,” Thune said in a statement. “He fought tirelessly for rural America and leaves a legacy that will have a lasting impact for years to come.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in Johnson’s honor.
The Johnsons had two sons and a daughter: Brooks, Brendan, a lawyer from Sioux Falls, and Kelsey, who works in public service in Washington.
Johnson and his wife were battling cancer. The former senator underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2004 and Barb Johnson is a breast cancer survivor.
