Notes for: Louis Arthur Johnson
Appointed by President Truman as the second U.S. Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson served in that office from Mar 28 1949 to Sep 19 1950. After graduation from the University of Virginia, he practiced law in Clarksburg, West Virginia; his firm, Steptoe and Johnson, eventually opened offices in Charleston, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1916, he served as majority floor leader and chairman of the Judiciary Committee. During World War I, Johnson saw action as an Army officer in France. After the war he resumed his law practice and was active in veterans' affairs, helping to found the American Legion and serving as its national commander in 1932-33. As assistant Secretary of War between 1937 and 1940, Johnson advocated universal military training, rearmament, and expansion of military aviation. He practiced law from 1940 to 1949, except for several months in 1942 when he served as the president's personal representative in India. After resigning as Secretary of Defense under political duress, he returned to his law practice, which he pursued until his death at age 75. In his last speech as Secretary of Defense, the day before he left office, Johnson observed: "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."
http://www.defense.gov/specials/secdef_histories/bios/johnson.htm
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