Please note that the further back in the history of the Secretaries of Defense, the less biographical information there is about those who held the position. The lack of dates on certain life events isn't due to a lack of research, it's due to the fact that:
- it was a long time ago
- Louis A. Johnson wasn't a terribly notable Secretary of Defense
born January 10, 1891
Roanoke, Virginia
died April 24, 1966
Washington, DC
buried in West Virginia
- 1913: established the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson, in Clarksburg, West Virginia (still practicing today, with almost 125 attorneys)
- 1916: West Virginia House of Delegates
- 1932-1933: National Commander of the American Legion
- 1937-1940: assistant Secretary of War
- 1942: the President's personal representative to India
- 1945: opened Steptoe and Johnson's Washington, DC office (still in business, but no longer a part of the original West Virginia law firm -- has almost 300 attorneys on staff)
- 1948: Chief fundraiser for Harry S. Truman's presidential campaign
- 1949: Secretary of Defense
Many considered Johnson's appointment to office a political payoff by Harry S. Truman, but his credentials were strengthened through his experience with the Veteran's Administration and his position as assistant Secretary of War.
In 1949, Johnson made a decision to cease construction of the US Navy's new super carrier, the USS United States. This led led to an event dubbed "The Revolt of the Admirals", and ultimately the ending his term early at the president's request on Auhust 19, 1950. Despite this, he ended his term saying this of his performance:
"When the hurly burly's done and the battle is won I trust the historian will find my record of performance creditable, my services honest and faithful commensurate with the trust that was placed in me and in the best interests of peace and our national defense."
He went back to practicing law in his Washington, DC firm until he died in 1966.
references: http://www.defenselink.mil, http://politicalgraveyard.com/, http://www.biography.com/, http://www.terralex.org/, http://www.steptoe.com, http://www.fas.org/, www.encyclopedia.com |
