Edwin Carl Johnson (1884 - 1970)

Born 1 Jan 1884 in Scandia, Republic, Kansas, United States

Ancestors

Died 30 May 1970 at age 86 in Denver, Colorado, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Norman [send private message]

Preceded by 25th Governor Billy Adams 33rd Governor Daniel Thornton Preceded by Edward P. Costigan

Edwin C. Johnson 26th Governor of Colorado 1933—1937 34th Governor 1955—1957 US Senator (Class 2) from Colorado 1937—1955

Succeeded by 27th Governor Ray Talbot 35rd Governor Stephen McNichols Succeeded by Gordon L. Allott

Biography

Edwin Johnson is Notable.

Parents: Nels Johnson and Anna Belle (Lunn) Johnson
Spouse: Fern Claire Armitage (1885-1971) married February 17, 1907

Edwin C. Johnson; "Big Ed" — of Craig, Moffat County, Colo. Born in Scandia, Republic County, Kan., January 1, 1884. Democrat. Railroad work; telegrapher; farmer; member of Colorado state house of representatives, 1923-31; Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, 1931-32; Governor of Colorado, 1933-37, 1955-57; U.S. Senator from Colorado, 1937-55; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1952. Lutheran. Member, Freemasons; Odd Fellows; Elks; Grange. Died in Denver, Colo., May 30, 1970 (age 86 years, 149 days). Entombed in mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colo.^[1]

Colorado's 26th and 34th governor. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Nebraska in 1903 and worked as a railroad laborer and train dispatcher in Fairmont, Nebraska. Johnson contracted tuberculosis in 1909 and moved to Colorado to convalesce. After his successful recovery, he entered politics as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives, an office he held from 1923 to 1931. He also served as lieutenant governor of Colorado from 1931 to 1933, and was a U.S. Senator from 1937 to 1955.

On November 8, 1932, Johnson was elected Governor of Colorado, and on January 10, 1933 he was sworn into office. He was reelected to a second term in 1934. During his tenure, he dealt with the difficulties that resulted from the Great Depression. He established his own reform agenda and reorganized statewide government. Included in his programs were a $20-million highway construction plan, a civil service reform policy, a tax reduction, and a balanced budget platform. Johnson left office on January 1, 1937, to take his seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1954.

On November 2, 1954, he was reelected to a third term in the governor's office. During this term, a bill was enacted for vocational training for the blind, and legislation for equal pay for equal work was constituted. The Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission was established, and the U.S. Air Force Academy was instituted. Johnson left office on January 8, 1957, and later served on the Colorado Commission on the Aged and the Upper Colorado River Basin Commission.^[2]

Johnson was also the President of the Western League, a Class A baseball league, from 1947 to 1955. He was instrumental in the construction of Bears Stadium / Mile High Stadium, and was inducted in 1968 into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

The eastbound bore of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel is named for Johnson because he lobbied for an Interstate Highway to be built across Colorado..^[3]

"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries,

Name: Edwin C Or Big Ed Johnson

Event Type: Obituary

Event Date: 31 May 1970

Event Place: Richmond, Virginia

Residence Place: Colorado

Residence Date: 30 May 1970

Occupation: Railroad Telegrapher

Death Date: 30 May 1970

'Newspaper: Richmond Times Dispatch

Affiliate Image Identifier: 1416879849383523

Spouse and Children

Fern Wife

Mrs Henry Arrance Daughter

Mrs Robert Howsam Daughter

Others on Record

Charles Phsdale Unknown

Don Brotzman Unknown

Ray L J Nonrelative Male

^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Political Graveyard Biography of Edwin C. Johnson
2. ↑ National Governors Association, Edwin Johnson Biography
3. ↑ Wikipedia:Edwin_C._Johnson
4. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q53T-DP8M : 18 July 2020), Charles Phsdale and Edwin C Or Big Ed Johnson, 1970. Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.--Digital Folder Number: 102001456--Image Number: 01123--System Origin: Dexter

• Find A Grave Memorial# 7362877
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress