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Descriptive Summary |
| Title: C. Donald (Don) Johnson Papers: Collection Summary |
| Creator:
Johnson, Clete Donald (Don), Jr., 1948-
|
| Inclusive Dates: 1972-2005 |
| Language(s): English |
| Extent:
159 box(es)
(131.75 linear feet, 100 kilobytes, and 78 audiovisual items)
|
| Collection Number: RBRL038CDJ |
| Repository:
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
|
| Abstract: C. Donald (Don) Johnson is a lawyer who served in the Georgia State Senate (1987-1992) and the U.S. House (1993-1995), and held several positions in D.C. related to international trade and investment policy, national security, and foreign policy. Johnson's papers document his entire career, particularly his term in the U.S. House, and include constituent correspondence, legislative files, press files, and campaign materials. |
Biographical Note
C. Donald (Don) Johnson, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 30, 1948. He earned a BA degree in history in 1970 and a Juris Doctorate in 1973 from the University of Georgia. Johnson served in the United States Air Force from 1973-1977 and was stationed in California, Colorado, and the Republic of Turkey as a member of the Office of the Judge Advocate General. He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal and was discharged with the rank of Captain. In 1978, he received a Master of Law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.
Prior to returning to Royston as a partner in the law firm of Johnson and Vandiver, Johnson held a variety of positions. He served an aide to the late Congressman Phil Landrum as well as legislative council for the U. S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. He also acted as corporate counsel for the Continental Illinois Bank of Chicago and was a member of the Atlanta law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy.
Johnson was elected to the State Senate from the 47th District in 1987 to fill the unexpired term of the late Senator Parks Brown. The 47th District includes Bank, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, and portions of Jackson and Madison counties. Johnson, a Democrat, served on the Judiciary, Reapportionment, Agriculture, Transportation, Finance, Public Utilities, and Rules committees and was chair of the Appropriations Committee from 1990 to 1992. He was a member of the Senate Democratic Party Caucus Policy Committee and served as Governor Joe Frank Harris' assistant administration floor leader in the senate from 1989 until 1992.
During his five years as State Senator, Johnson major legislative accomplishments included: author of toll free county-wide calls legislation which expanded local telephone service area in 129 counties at no additional cost to consumers; principle sponsor of Governor Joe Frank Harris' anti-drug legislation package which gave Georgia the toughest anti-drug laws in the United States; author of civil restitution laws providing business and property owners an easier means of recovering losses from shoplifters and vandals and strengthening bad check laws; author of State Hobbs Act and constitutional amendment for circuit wide grand jury to combat political corruption and misuse of public office for personal gain; and author of reporter shield law which protects against unnecessary infringement upon confidential sources of information.
In addition to his standing committee posts, Johnson was chairman of the Georgia Senate Export Expansion Study Committee, which considered ways the state could encourage the export of Georgia products to overseas markets and boost the state's economy. He also served on several other interim study committees including the Senate Study Committee on Rural Economic Development, the Senate Transportation Study Committee, and the Senate Fraudulent Check Study Committee.
In 1992, Johnson successfully ran for the United States Congress as a Democrat representing Georgia's 10th District, succeeding Doug Barnard, Jr. of Augusta. While in office, Johnson served on the Armed Services Committee and Science Space and Technology Committee. He acted as a delegate to the North Atlantic Assembly (NATO's legislative advisory body) in Berlin and Copenhagen and monitored Russia's first parliamentary (Duma) election in Moscow in December 1993.
After an unsuccessful bid for a second term, Johnson spent a number of years in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in international trade and investment policy, national security and foreign policy. He was vice-president for government relations and public policy with Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations, Inc. In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed him ambassador and he served for two and a half years as chief textile negotiator and principal advisor to both the president and the United States Trade Representative on all textile and apparel trade matters.
Johnson then became a partner in the law firm Patton Boggs until he accepted an appointment in 2004 as the director of the University of Georgia School of Law's Dean Rusk Center. specializing in global legal and policy issues. Currently, Johnson resides in Royston with his wife Suzanne Spratlin.
Scope and Content
Johnson's papers document his entire career, particularly his term in the U.S. House, and to a lesser extent his service in the Georgia State Senate, and his service related to textiles and international trade. The papers include constituent correspondence, legislative files, press files, and campaign materials. Common subjects include the budget, the environment, health care, judicial issues, and the military.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection is organized into 8 record groups: Record Group A. State Senate Files, Record Group B. Congress, Record Group C. Post-Congressional, Record Group D. Personal, Record Group E. Photographs, Record Group F. Audiovisual Materials, Record Group G. Artifacts, and Record Group H. Maps.
This collection is open for research with the following exceptions:
Record Group D. Personal: Legal records that are protected by attorney-client privilege are closed for 50 years.
Record Group D. Personal: Medical records that are protected by HIPAA are closed for 100 years.
Record Group D. Personal: Box D.2 must be reviewed for sensitive information prior to research use. Please request this box 3 business days prior to your research visit to allow time for this review.
Record Group D. Personal contains 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.
Record Group F. Audiovisual Materials: Though the collection is open for research, reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
Before 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.
Library acts as a "fair use" reproduction agent.
Finding Aid Publication
Finding Aid prepared by Adriane Hanson and Jordan Graham (student assistant), September 2016.
Subject Terms
Doug Barnard Collection
Joe Frank Harris Collection
Clete D. Johnson Collection
Linton Johnson Collection
Zell Miller Collection
Charles W. Norwood Collection
