Louis A. Johnson
Louis Arthur Johnson (born January 10, 1891 in Roanoke , Virginia , † April 24, 1966 in Washington DC ) was Secretary of Defense of the United States from March 28, 1949 to September 19, 1950 under President Harry S. Truman .
During his tenure there were a number of defense conflicts, such as the Admiral Revolt , which arose from the strategic realignment of the United States' armed forces after World War II .
Life
Johnson studied after his high school Accounts Law at the University of Virginia and opened with a former fellow students in Clarksburg , West Virginia , the firm " Steptoe and Johnson ," whose success soon the establishment of branch offices in Charleston led and Washington.
Johnson ran for the election of the West Virginia House of Representatives and, after a successful election, became chairman of the Democratic majority parliamentary group there. In 1916 he became an officer and served on the Western Front .
President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Johnson in 1937 as the successor to Harry Hines Woodring Deputy Minister of War ( Assistant Secretary of War ). In this position he worked towards a professionalization of the military and a stronger role for the air force, which brought him into conflict with his isolationist-minded superior, Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring. Roosevelt fired both of them when the Wehrmacht defeated France in the six-week blitzkrieg .
Awards
- 1947: Medal for Merit , at that time the highest civilian award in the USA.
Web links
- Louis A. Johnson in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)
- Louis A. Johnson in the database of Find a Grave (English)
- Louis A. Johnson in nndb (English)
- Newspaper article about Louis A. Johnson in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, Louis A. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Louis Arthur (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American lawyer and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 10, 1891 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Roanoke , Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 24, 1966 |
| Place of death | Washington, DC |