Representative Joseph C. Johnston View All Years

JOSEPH C. JOHNSTON

Joseph C. Johnston was born October 26, 1938 in Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from St. Pat’s High School in 1957 where he played basketball. He joined the National Guard after high school. He was married in 1957 to Judy and they had four children, they later divorced. In 1983, he married Amanda Potterfield and they had one child together.

He worked as a salesman before he enrolled in the University of Iowa where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in Accounting & Economics in 1966. He continued at the University of Iowa Law School and received his Juris Doctor Degree in 1968.

He stood against the war before it was popular and he represented students and others involved in protesting the Vietnam War. He was the attorney for the Hawkeye Area Civil Liberties Union where he represented students in high profile disciplinary cases across the state.

The one appointment he kept was playing basketball three times a week. He was an avid golfer and a rabid Hawkeye fan. He was an active Democrat and in 2014, he was inducted into the Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame. To borrow words from his son and author Tim, Joe embodied “all of the love, complexity, and humor of family”.

Joseph was a Democrat from Johnson County. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in the fall of 1968 serving two terms. During his time he served on the following committees: Appropriations, County Government, Environmental Preservation, Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Schools

Representative Johnston passed away on September 19, 2015 at the age of 76.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF IOWA, That in the passing of the Honorable Joseph C. Johnston, the State has lost an honored citizen and a faithful and useful public servant, and the House by this Resolution would express its appreciation of his service.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be spread upon the Journal of the House, and that the Chief Clerk be directed to forward an enrolled copy to the family of the deceased.

DAVID MAXWELL

DAVID JACOBY

JARAD KLEIN

Committee