Gary E. Johnson

Infobox Governor
name = Gary Earl Johnson


imagesize = 180px
order = 29th
office = Governor of New Mexico
term_start = January 1, 1995
term_end = January 1, 2003
lieutenant = Walter Bradley
predecessor = Bruce King
successor = Bill Richardson
birth_date = Birth date and age|1953|1|1|mf=y
birth_place = North Dakota
death_date =
death_place =
party = Republican
spouse = Dee Johnson (1977-2005) (divorced)
profession = Businessman
religion = Lutheran

Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1 1953) was the Republican governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He is also a well-known and outspoken opponent of the War on Drugs.

Background

Johnson attended the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, with an emphasis in business and political science. It was there that he met his future wife, Dee. In the early 1980s, Johnson started a construction business from a loan given to him by his father-in-law, and was able to capitalize on the need for modern buildings in the growing Albuquerque metropolitan area [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5092/is_n1_v19/ai_16575225 interview in New Mexico Business Journal Jan-Feb, 1995] ] .

Governor of New Mexico

In 1994, Johnson received the Republican nomination for governor after a long primary campaign and close primary election. Despite having little experience in politics, Johnson was able to sway both Republicans and Democrats towards his libertarian beliefs. In the state general election, he defeated the incumbent Democratic governor Bruce King 50-40 percent in a nationally Republican year [ [http://lib.nmsu.edu/cruces/elec/elec94.html 1994 NM Election Results] ] .

In 1995, Johnson created some controversy when he met with representatives of the New Mexico militia movement, soon after the Oklahoma City bombing. Johnson stated in response that he was meeting with of the militia movement members to ensure that they remained non-violent [Halpern, Thomas; Rosenberg, David; Suall, Irwin (Jan. 1996) [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2608_v124/ai_17868063/pg_9 "Militia movement: prescription for disaster] , USA Today.] .

In 1998, Johnson was reelected as Governor, defeating Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez by a 55% to 45% margin [ [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/1998/states/NM/G/index.html CNN election results 1998] ] .

In 1999, Johnson became the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to advocate the legalization of drugs. Saying the War on Drugs was "an expensive bust," he advocated the decriminalization of both drug use and possession in order to save money and potentially regulate currently illegal drugs. His position was similar to that of the Libertarian Party in many ways, and led many political observers to believe he would run for political office as a Libertarian in the future. [ [http://www.cnn.com/US/9910/06/legalizing.drugs.01/ CNN.com] ]

Post-gubernatorial life

Johnson was term limited and could not run for a third consecutive term as governor. As of 2008, he has not announced any desire or decision to again seek election to any other office.

After leaving office, Johnson briefly considered running for president in 2004 as a Libertarian Party candidate.Fact|date=August 2008 After declining the formation of a Presidential search committee and deciding against such a run for president, Johnson has largely retired from politics and left public life.

Johnson is also an avid triathlete who runs several miles each day and abstains from all drug use, caffeine, alcohol, and some sugar products. During his term in office, he competed in several triathlons and was also an outspoken advocate for physical fitness. In 2003, he climbed Mount Everest. [ [http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/jun/08/former_governor_scales/ "Former governor scales Mount Everest" Lawrence Journal-World Online Edition Lawrence, KS] ]

It was reported in the September 29 2005, Albuquerque Journal that Johnson quietly divorced his wife, Dee. The newspaper said that the couple were divorcing after "growing apart" and decided to go public with the news at that time [ [http://joemonahansnewmexico.blogspot.com/ABQjournal_%20Ex-Gov.%20Johnson,%20Wife%20Are%20Divorcing%20-%20Netscape.pdf Leslie Linthicum Albuquerque Journal] ] . The couple had been married in 1977. On December 22, 2006 Dee Johnson was found dead in her Taos, NM home. The Office of the Medical Investigator ruled that she died as the result of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. She was 54 at the time of her death [ [http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/56804.html Santa Fe New Mexican Feb 11, 2007] ] .

Johnson currently serves on the board of directors of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a youth-oriented nonprofit organization that seeks to end the war on drugs [ [http://ssdp.org/staff/ SSDP National Staff page] ] .

In 2008, Johnson endorsed Ron Paul for the 2008 Republican nomination. [ [http://www.ronpaul2008.com/press-releases/155/former-new-mexico-governor-gary-johnson-endorses-ron-paul Official Ron Paul website] ]

External links

* [http://reason.com/0101/fe.ml.americas.shtml "America's Most Dangerous Politician"] , interview in "Reason" by Michael Lynch.

References