 Eric Johnson Papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteEric Johnson was born August 20, 1953, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a master's degree in architecture from Tulane University in 1976. Some of Johnson's earliest political involvement was as a regional director for U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly (1981-1983) and later as chair of the Chatham County Republican Party (1987-1989). In 1992, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he served one term before running successfully for state senate in 1994. In the senate, Johnson represented Georgia's 1st district. He served as Minority Whip (1997-1998) and Minority Leader (1999-2003) and was elected as President Pro Tempore in January 2003. In that role, Johnson chaired the Administrative Affairs Committee. He also served as co-chair of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee. He was also a member of the Appropriations, Assignments, Ethics, Finance, Natural Resources and the Environment, and Rules committees. Johnson's legislative record includes the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (2007), Georgia's first voucher program; the Know Thy Neighbor Act (1997), which required the Board of Pardons and Paroles to establish a system for citizens to obtain a list of parolees; and the School Safety Act (1997), which required the courts to notify local school systems when a juvenile is convicted of a felony. He also pushed for laws allowing DNR (do not resuscitate) orders to be portable, wrote the amendment to the "Moment of Silence" law allowing student-initiated prayer at school and school events, and helped create the "Rape Victims' Bill of Rights." In 2010, Johnson ran for governor in an effort to succeed Governor Sonny Perdue. He came in third in the Republican primary, behind runoff contenders Congressman Nathan Deal and former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel. (Deal would eventually win in the general election.) Outside of politics, Johnson is the president of HGBD International, a position he has held since 2010. Previously he was architect and vice president of the firm (1986–2005) and an architect for North Point Industrial (2006-2010). Johnson and his wife, Kathryn, are the parents of two children, Righton and Marcus. He resides in Savannah, Georgia. Source: Georgia State Senate biography Scope and ContentThe Eric Johnson Papers document Johnson's tenure in the Georgia State Senate from Georgia's 1st District (1994-2009) and include constituent correspondence, legislative research, bills and resolutions, press releases and news clippings, campaign files, photographs and scrapbooks, and artifacts. The papers reflect Johnson's legislative activities related to special needs and school voucher programs, greater transparency in pardons and paroles, the changing of the Georgia state flag, issues related to beaches and coastal areas, and other concerns affecting the state and the 1st District, comprising Bryan, Chatham and Liberty Counties. Organization and ArrangementThe papers are arranged in six series: I. Constituent Services; II. Legislative; III. Press; IV. Political; V. Photographs and Scrapbooks; and VI. Artifacts. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research with the following exceptions: Oppositiion research is closed for 50 years from the date of creation. Voter surveys are closed for 20 years from date of creation. Series I. Constituent Services, Series II. Legislative, Series III. Press, and Series IV. Photographs and Scrapbooks contain digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use. Preferred citationEric Johnson Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Conditions Governing UseLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Finding Aid PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Mat Darby, 2015. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
C. Donald (Don) Johnson Papers, Record Group A: State Senate Files | ||||||||||||||||||||||