HERBERT O. JOHNSON:

Herbert O. Johnson was born May 4, 1908 in Minneapolis but grew up on a farm near Foreston, in Mille Lacs county. He graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul in 1930 and then pursued graduate work at the University of Minnesota for three years. He began teaching math and biology in Aitkin during his graduate school years and eventually became an assistant principal. Before his appointment as executive secretary of the Minnesota Republican Party in 1955, Johnson served as the executive secretary of the student YMCA on the University of Minnesota farm campus and as youth program secretary and executive secretary of the Midway YMCA in St. Paul. In 1949 he became executive secretary of the Winona YMCA, where he served until he was tapped for the position with the Republican Party. Johnson was a newcomer to politics in 1955, but his appointment as executive secretary marked the beginning of a long career with the Minnesota Republican Party.

After retiring from his leadership post with the Republican Party in 1973, he began a second career as a volunteer. Much of his work was as an advocate for the elderly, including a position from 1978 to 1982 as Governor Al Quie's liaison to the Minnesota Board on Aging and other elderly groups. In 1981, he was one of several Minnesota delegates at the White House Conference on Aging. In 1988 he was selected Ramsey County's Outstanding Senior Citizen and was subsequently named one of Minnesota's two Outstanding Senior Citizens.

Herbert O. Johnson married and had three children.

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The bulk of the collection consists of material related to Johnson's extensive work with the Republican Party in Minnesota, including his appointment as executive secretary of the State Central Committee and work on various election campaigns from the late 1950s through 1970. Other records include reports, platforms, and newsletters.

There is also a small collection of personal papers documenting some of Johnson's other activities. These papers consist mainly of correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, and other miscellaneous material. Much of the material relates to his post-retirement work as an advocate for the elderly.

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These records are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Herbert O. Johnson Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 14,973; 15,391

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov

Catalog ID number: 990017356760104294

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Records of the Minnesota Republican State Central Committee are separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Aged -- Government policy.

Aged -- Political activity.

Places:

Africa -- Description and travel.

Persons:

Heffelfinger, F. Peavey, 1897-.

Heffelfinger, Elizabeth Bradley, 1900-1981.

Organizations:

Republican Party (Minn.). State Central Committee.

Republican Party (Minn.) -- Platforms.

Republican Party (Minn.) -- Administration.

Types of Documentation:

Photographs.

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