Henry Johnson

Hank Johnson, a Democrat, has represented the Fourth Congressional District of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Biography
Johnson grew up in Washington, DC, the son of the highest ranking African American then serving in the Bureau of Prisons. He graduated from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall Law School. He is married to Mereda Davis Johnson and has two children.

Johnson has practiced law for 25 years, with a focus on criminal and civil litigation. He gained a degree of prominence early in his career when he successfully won the exoneration of He also served as Associate Judge of the Magistrate Court of DeKalb County for ten years. in 2001, he was elected a DeKalb County Commissioner, a job he held until running for Congress in 2006.

2006 elections
Johnson challenged incumbent Rep. Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic primary. In the initial round of voting, she received 47.1% of the vote; Johnson 44.4%. The failure of both candidates to earn a majority of the vote triggered a run off. Johnson won the run off fairly easily (59%-41%) and became the Democratic Party's nominee for Congress, nearly assuring him a seat given the make up of his district.

He defeated Republican candidate Catherine Davis in the November general election. Johnson and Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) became the first Buddhists to serve in Congress in January 2007. 

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
 * Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
 * House Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
 * Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
 * Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
 * House Committee on Small Business
 * Subcommittee on Finance and Tax
 * Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship

Resources

 * Hank Johnson for Congress, official campaign site.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Georgia Unfiltered
 * A Mad Democrat
 * The Spacey Gracey Review

Articles

 * Jenny Jarvie, "Georgia Rep. McKinney Loses Democratic Runoff," Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2006.
 * "McKinney beaten but unbowed," Associated Press (CNN), August 9, 2006.
 * Sarah Wheaton, "A Congressman, a Muslim and a Buddhist Walk Into a Bar...," New York Times - The Caucus blog, January 2, 2007.