[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 64 (Thursday, April 30, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H2661-H2663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THOMAS FRANK JOHNSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
accomplishments of an important man of America's Greatest Generation, 
Dr. Thomas Frank Johnson. He faced life's challenges head on, and, 
throughout all of this vast change, he always saw America's promise 
above all else.
  Dr. Johnson, a military veteran and influential economist, passed 
away last December at the age of 94 and was recently buried at 
Arlington National Cemetery. He served as a lieutenant commander in the 
Navy in the Pacific from 1943 to 1945 and remained in the Navy Reserve 
until 1980.
  He was born September 27, 1920, in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was a 
child of the Great Depression, which affected his economic and personal 
outlook. His philosophy was simple--as he would tell his children--time 
marches on, so must we.
  Dr. Johnson was extremely proud of his military service. However, as 
a humble man, he only displayed one picture of himself, on his patrol 
craft 1191 in the Pacific, escorting aircraft carriers and destroyers 
into battle. After the war, he remained in the Navy, traveling by 
train, bringing soldiers and sailors home--some to their families, some 
to hospitals, and some to their final resting places.
  While very proud of his service, he rarely ever spoke of his time 
there. He simply moved on to the next phase of his life in post-World 
War II America. After concluding Active Duty, Dr. Johnson completed 
studies in economics at the University of Virginia and was a member of 
the Thomas Jefferson Society.
  He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1949 and began his professional 
career

[[Page H2662]]

at the Department of Agriculture, specializing in the sugar beet 
industry, followed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
  In the mid-1950s, he served as the assistant commissioner of the 
Federal Housing Authority, in charge of research and legislation. He 
concluded his tenure at the Federal Housing Authority as acting 
commissioner. He then joined the American Enterprise Institute, where 
he influenced economic thought and public policy for another three 
decades.
  For those three decades, Dr. Johnson held senior leadership roles at 
the American Enterprise Institute, including director of economic 
policy studies. In his last year, he was the acting CEO.
  A man who did not seek the limelight, he had an uncanny ability to 
recruit and cultivate the foremost economic thinkers of our Nation. Dr. 
Johnson fostered the talent of at least three Nobel Prize winners in 
economics, including Milton Friedman, Jim Buchanan, and Gary Becker.
  Dr. Johnson influenced economic policy during seven Presidential 
administrations. He established a lunchtime forum for informal 
discussions with Cabinet Secretaries, financial leaders, and 
ambassadors. Even President George H.W. Bush would attend the forum.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Johnson was a humble and very forward-looking man. 
While engaging with many world leaders and policymakers, he was always 
a very private person, seldom talking about himself. He also taught 
economics nearly his entire professional life at the University of 
Virginia, George Mason University, and George Washington University.
  Throughout his career, Dr. Johnson was active in professional 
societies such as the National Association of Business Economists, 
serving as chapter president in 1971; Institute for Social Science 
Research; Royal Economic Society; National Tax Association; American 
Finance Association; Southern Economic Association; and the Cosmos Club 
here in Washington, where he often took his children to meet important 
policymakers and leading economists of the Nation and the world.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Johnson was also deeply engaged in his local 
community, serving on the Alexandria Hospital board of directors, 
including a term as its president. He also proudly served on the 
Alexandria school board and the vestry for St. Paul's Episcopal Church 
and Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church in Alexandria.
  Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers are with his wife of 63 years, 
Margaret Ann; three children, Thomas, William, and the Reverend Sarah 
Nelson; and seven grandchildren.
  Dr. Thomas Frank Johnson will surely be missed.
  Mr. Speaker, I will submit for the Record an additional account of 
Dr. Johnson's life.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of an 
important man in American life. Dr. Thomas Frank Johnson was part of 
the ``Greatest Generation'', a time now referred to as the ``American 
Century''. He, like other nonagenarians, saw so much change during his 
life and faced life's challenges head on. He witnessed a World War, a 
dozen presidents, the beginnings of commercial aviation and lunar 
landings, the construction and collapse of the Berlin Wall, the rise of 
China and India as world powers and other wonders. Throughout all of 
this vast change, he always saw above all else, America's promise.
  We commend Dr. Johnson--an influential economist shaping this 
nation's public policy and a veteran--who died December 28, 2014, at 94 
years of age. He served as a Lt. Commander in the Navy in the Pacific 
from 1943 to 1945. He remained in the Navy Reserve until 1980.
  For nearly 30 years, Dr. Johnson held senior leadership roles at the 
American Enterprise Institute (1958-87), including director of economic 
policy studies and in his last year Acting CEO. A man who did not seek 
the limelight, he had an uncanny ability to recruit and cultivate the 
foremost economic thinkers. Dr. Johnson mentored numerous AEI 
scholars--providing the ideas and discourse--and then editing the 
publications of the nation's preeminent economists and public policy 
planners including Jean Kirkpatrick, Carla Hills, Irving Krystal, Herb 
Stein, and Murray Wiedenbaum. Dr. Johnson fostered the talent of at 
least three Nobel Prize winners in Economics including Milton Friedman, 
Jim Buchanan, and Gary Becker--well-known members of the Chicago School 
of Economic Thought. Because of Dr. Johnson's guidance and mentoring, 
other colleagues and assistants have also gone onto remarkable careers.
  Dr. Johnson was known as the ``Dean of AEI'' and influenced economic 
policy during seven presidential administrations--John F. Kennedy, 
Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald W. Reagan 
and George H.W. Bush. Dr. Johnson established the AEI cafeteria, a 
lunchtime forum for informal discussions with cabinet secretaries, 
financial leaders, and ambassadors. George Herbert Walker Bush was a 
regular.
  Dr. Johnson published numerous articles of his own in professional 
journals and books such as Renewing America's Cities. He served on the 
commission for urban renewal under three Virginia Governors--Linwood 
Holton, Miles Godwin and Bob Dalton. In 1980, Virginia enacted a law 
that implemented most of commission's work with a $150 million 
appropriation--an enormous sum at the time--to renew Virginia's cities.
  He was a humble and very forward-looking man. While engaging with 
many world leaders and policymakers, he was always a very private 
person seldom talking about himself. He mused why anyone would want to 
know about his past. He and his generation just didn't boast--they just 
faced life every day and moved into the future.
  Over 94 years, Dr. Johnson achieved significant professional, 
community, and personal accomplishments. He was born Sept 27, 1920, in 
Lynchburg, Virginia, and was a child of the Great Depression which 
affected his economic and personnel outlook. His family had several 
reversals of fortune, including the loss of their tobacco farm near 
Farmville, Virginia. As a result, he didn't believe in debt and paid 
cash for everything, including his home. His philosophy was simple. As 
he would tell his children, ``time marches on, so must we.''
  Dr. Johnson was extremely proud of his military service to our 
nation. However, as a humble man, he only displayed one picture of 
himself--on his ``Patrol Craft 1191'' in the Pacific escorting aircraft 
carriers and destroyers into battle. After the war, he remained in the 
U.S. Navy travelling by train bringing soldiers and sailors home: some 
to their families; some to hospitals; and some to their final resting 
places. While very proud of his service, he rarely ever spoke of that 
time. He simply moved onto his next Phase--the post World War II 
America.
  His generation witnessed terrible tragedies and atrocities. Because 
of these experiences, Dr. Johnson respected people of all origins 
recognizing their fate could have easily been his. He often told his 
children about friends and colleagues who experienced incredible war-
time escapes and journeys from Eastern Europe and Asia to America. He 
helped many of these immigrants, refugees go onto successful lives in 
the United States. These harrowing experiences are why he never lost 
sight of America's promise.
  After concluding active duty, Dr. Johnson completed studies in 
economics at the University of Virginia (B.A. 1943, M.A. 1947, and 
Ph.D. 1949) and was a member of the Thomas Jefferson Society. He also 
attended Lynchburg College (1939-41).
  Dr. Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. in 1949 and began his 
professional career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1949-51)--
specializing in the sugar industry--followed by the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce (1951-54). In the mid-1950s, he served as Assistant 
Commissioner of the Federal Housing Authority (1954-58) in charge of 
research and legislation during the implementation of the urban renewal 
provisions of the National Housing Act of 1954. He concluded his tenure 
at the Federal Housing Authority as Acting Commissioner. This was a 
time of incredible American renewal in which he played such an 
important role in shaping. He then joined AEI where he influenced 
economic thought and public policy for another three decades.
  Dr. Johnson taught economics nearly his entire professional life at 
the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and George 
Washington University. He also lectured at dozens of campuses 
throughout the country. He was responsible for bringing scholars to 
George Mason and helping to establish its economics and law schools.
  Throughout his career, Dr. Johnson was active in professional 
societies such as the National Association of Business Economists, 
serving as chapter president in 1971, Institute for Social Science 
Research, Royal Economic Society (U.K.), National Tax Association, 
American Finance Association and the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., 
where he often took his children to meet important policymakers and 
leading economists.
  Dr. Johnson was also deeply engaged in the local community serving on 
the Alexandria Hospital Board of Directors from 1965 to 1971, including 
a term as its president (1970-1971). As a patient, he never mentioned 
his leadership on the hospital board--even when getting a new pacemaker 
on his 90 birthday! He also proudly served on the Alexandria School 
Board (1974-1976) and the vestry for St.

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Paul's Episcopal Church and Emmanuel Church on the Hill Episcopal 
Church in Alexandria.
  As we remember Dr. Johnson, with his family present today in the Well 
of the House Chamber, it was this humble member of the Greatest 
Generation and his contributions that made the American Century 
possible. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Margaret Ann 
(Emhardt); three children Thomas Emhardt (Julianne Mueller), William 
Harrison (Tracy Schario), and the Rev. Sarah Nelson; and seven 
grandchildren--Gaelen, Caleb, Eliza, Keegan, and Maren Nelson and 
Natalie and garret Johnson.
  We owe Dr. Johnson and his peers deep gratitude for their 
achievements and their courage--facing down incredible challenges. We 
live in the greatest country in the world because of men like Dr. 
Johnson--ones that always believed in America's promise for the future.

                          ____________________