Mike Johanns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Johanns
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Official portrait, 2009
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| United States Senator from Nebraska |
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| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Chuck Hagel |
| Succeeded by | Ben Sasse |
| 28th United States Secretary of Agriculture | |
| In office January 21, 2005 – September 20, 2007 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Ann Veneman |
| Succeeded by | Ed Schafer |
| 38th Governor of Nebraska | |
| In office January 7, 1999 – January 20, 2005 |
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| Lieutenant | David Maurstad Dave Heineman |
| Preceded by | Ben Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Dave Heineman |
| 47th Mayor of Lincoln | |
| In office May 20, 1991 – November 30, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Harris |
| Succeeded by | Dale Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Owen Johanns
June 18, 1950 Osage, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1988–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1988) |
| Spouses |
Connie Johanns
(m. 1972; div. 1985)Stephanie Armitage
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (BA) Creighton University (JD) |
Michael Owen Johanns (born June 18, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as a United States senator for Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. Before that, he was the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005.
In 2005, President George W. Bush chose him to be the United States Secretary of Agriculture. He held this job from 2005 to 2007. Johanns was the fourth person from Nebraska to become Secretary of Agriculture.
He was born in Osage, Iowa. Johanns studied at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Creighton University School of Law. He started his career as a lawyer. He also worked for the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Johanns was elected to the Lancaster County Board in 1983 as a Democrat. He later became a Republican. In 1988, he was elected to the Lincoln City Council. He then became the 47th mayor of Lincoln in 1991 and was reelected in 1995.
In 1998, Johanns won the election to become governor of Nebraska. He was reelected in 2002. In 2008, he ran for the U.S. Senate and won. He decided not to run for reelection in 2014.
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Early Life and Education
Michael Johanns was born in Osage, Iowa. His parents were Adeline Lucy and John Robert Johanns. His family had German and Polish roots. He grew up helping on his family's farm.
He finished high school in Osage in 1968. Then, he went to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1971.
Johanns later earned his law degree from Creighton University School of Law. He became a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association in 1974.
After law school, he worked for a judge on the Nebraska Supreme Court from 1974 to 1975. He then practiced law in O'Neill, Nebraska. In 1976, he started his own law firm in Lincoln, Nebraska. He worked there until 1991.
Early Political Career
Johanns served on the Lancaster County Board from 1983 to 1987. At that time, he was a Democrat. In 1988, he became a Republican. He was elected to the Lincoln City Council, serving from 1989 to 1991.
On May 7, 1991, he was elected the 47th Mayor of Lincoln. He won against the current mayor, Bill Harris. Johanns took office on May 20, 1991. In 1995, he was reelected without anyone running against him. This was the first time a Lincoln mayor had done this since the 1950s. After he became governor, Dale Young took over as mayor.
Governor of Nebraska
Elections for Governor
1998 Election
Johanns started campaigning for governor very early, in October 1995. This helped him become well-known and gain support. He visited all 93 counties in Nebraska.
In the Republican primary, Johanns ran against John Breslow and Jon Lynn Christensen. Johanns was seen as a good choice for moderate voters. He won the primary election with 40% of the votes.
The current governor, Ben Nelson, could not run again. Bill Hoppner won the Democratic nomination. On November 3, 1998, Johanns and his running mate, David I. Maurstad, won the general election. They defeated Hoppner with 54% of the votes.
2002 Election
Johanns won reelection in 2002 by a large amount. He defeated Democrat Stormy Dean with 69% of the votes. He was the first Republican governor of Nebraska to be reelected since 1956.
Time as Governor
During his first term, Johanns worked to lower property taxes. He helped pass laws that saved people $85 million in taxes.
Johanns supported a plan to limit how much the state government could spend. He also signed a law in 2002 that raised the state's cigarette tax. He proposed another increase, saying that smoking leads to higher medical costs for everyone.
He led trade trips for agriculture to countries like Japan, China, and Brazil. He also signed a law to increase gasoline taxes to help fund ethanol production. Johanns was the chairman of the Governors' Ethanol Coalition in 2001.
Johanns was known for using his power to stop bills from becoming law. In 1999, he stopped 26 bills in just five days. This was more than any previous governor in Nebraska. In 2003, he stopped the entire state budget. He said he would not accept a budget that raised taxes to make the government bigger. He wanted to cut spending by almost 10% in every state program.
He also stopped bills that would have increased pay for members of the Nebraska Legislature and teacher salaries. However, the legislature voted to overrule his veto on their pay raise.
In 1999, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill to stop executions for two years. This was to study if the death penalty was fair in the state. Johanns, who supports the capital punishment, stopped the bill. He said it was "poor public policy" and would cause more legal appeals.
Johanns signed proclamations for some religious groups. He said he would sign for any faith as long as it didn't go against his personal beliefs. He chose not to sign proclamations for all requested groups.
Johanns was the chairman of the National Governors Association's Committee on Economic Development and Commerce twice. He also served on the Advisory Committee for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. In 2003, he was chairman of the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership. In 2002, he became chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association.
United States Secretary of Agriculture
On December 2, 2004, President George W. Bush chose Johanns to be the new United States Secretary of Agriculture. This meant Johanns would not run for U.S. Senator in 2006. President Bush chose him because he supported ethanol and knew a lot about foreign trade.
The Senate approved Johanns on January 20, 2005. He resigned as Governor of Nebraska that day and started his new job the next day.
U.S. Senate
2008 Election
On September 20, 2007, Johanns resigned as Secretary of Agriculture. On October 10, 2007, he announced he would run for the United States Senate. Senator Chuck Hagel was retiring from that seat. On November 4, 2008, Johanns was elected to the Senate. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Scott Kleeb.
Time in the Senate
Johanns served a single term in the Senate. He voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a healthcare law) and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (a financial reform law). He also opposed laws about carbon emissions.
He was part of a group called the "Gang of Eight" in 2011. This group tried to find a way to reduce the national debt. He also played a key role in changing the planned path of the Keystone Pipeline.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society gave Johanns an award. This was for his work to support research into autoimmune diseases.
Committee Work
As a Senator, Johanns worked on several important committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Committee on Indian Affairs
Groups He Joined
Johanns was also a member of these groups in the Senate:
- International Conservation Caucus
- Parkinson's Disease Caucus (he was a co-chair)
- Sportsmen's Caucus
Millennium Challenge Corporation
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In December 2015, President Barack Obama chose Johanns to join the board of directors for the Millennium Challenge Corporation. This group helps reduce poverty in developing countries. The U.S. Senate approved this in February 2016. In March 2019, President Donald Trump nominated him for a second term on the board.
Personal Life
Johanns married Connie Johanns in 1972. They had two children, Justin and Michaela. He also has five grandchildren. They divorced in 1985. In 1986, he married Stephanie Armitage. She had also been a politician in Nebraska.
