- Thomas Francis Johnson
:"For other persons named Francis Johnson, see
Francis Johnson (disambiguation) ."Thomas Francis Johnson (
June 26 ,1909 —February 1 ,1988 ) was a U.S. Congressman who represented theMaryland's 1st congressional district fromJanuary 3 ,1959 toJanuary 3 ,1963 . He lost re-election after criminal charges were brought against him.Born in
Worcester County, Maryland , Johnson received his early education from the local schools. He later graduated from Staunton Military Academy of Virginia in 1926, St. John's College, theUniversity of Virginia , and theUniversity of Maryland, College Park . He was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law inSnow Hill, Maryland . In 1932, he was elected chairman of the board of Commercial National Bank of Snow Hill. Johnson specialized ininternational law with practice in theFar East ,Middle East , andcontinental Europe .cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=J000176|title=JOHNSON, Thomas Francis, (1909 - 1988)|publisher=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |accessdate=2008-07-17]In 1934, at the age of 24, Johnson was appointed as state's attorney for Maryland, and, at age 28, he was elected to the
Maryland State Senate , where he served from 1939 to 1951. He was the youngest man in state history to serve in those positions up to that point. cite news |authorlink=Associated Press |author=Associated Press |title=Thomas Johnson, 78; Lost Post in Congress |format=obituary |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE0DD143BF930A35751C0A96E948260 |work=The New York Times |date=1988-02-03]In 1958, he was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-sixth and Eighty-seventh Congresses, and served from
3 January 1959 until3 January 1963 . In 1962, before re-election, Johnson had charges brought against him regarding the receipt of illegal gratuities in Congress. He was convicted of conspiracy and conflict of interest in 1968, served three and a half months of a six-month sentence in jail, and paid a $5,000 fine. This conviction cost him re-election. [see above] ]After Congress, Johnson resumed the practice of law and lived in
Berlin, Maryland until his death inSeaford, Delaware in 1988.Notes
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