State Web Site

Military Service: Marines

War(s) Served:  World War II

PAUL BURNEY JOHNSON JR. was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on January 23, 1916. He received his early education in the public schools of Forrest County, Mississippi, and he earned a LL.B. from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1940. Also in 1940, he was admitted to the Mississippi State Bar, and established his first law practice, in Jackson. Johnson joined the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after the December 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, and he served in combat in the South Pacific, where he rose from private to captain. After the war, he achieved the rank of Major in the Marine Corps Inactive Reserve. In 1949 he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award. Following his military service, Johnson moved his law practice to Hattiesburg, and from 1948 to 1951, he served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. Beside his law practice, Johnson established several other businesses in the Forrest County, Mississippi, area. He ran for the first time for governor in 1947. Defeated in this campaign -- as well as campaigns in 1951 and 1955 -- Johnson decided to run for lieutenant governor in 1959, and was elected in the first primary. As lieutenant governor, he helped develop and execute plans for industrial progress through his leadership on the Agricultural and Industrial Board and in the Senate. He also oversaw an active building program at the state's educational institutions. Lieutenant Governor Johnson filled in for Governor Ross Barnett at Ole Miss, when in 1962, federal marshals escorted James Meredith, an African American, to ensure his safety as he enrolled at the historically white institution. On that occasion, Johnson physically blocked federal authorities who were attempting to get Meredith through the cordon of men resisting his entrance. Meredith was ultimately enrolled at the school, but this act of resistance generated the campaign slogan, "Stand Tall With Paul," and helped to secure the governorship for Johnson in the 1963 election. Johnson was inaugurated as the 54th governor of Mississippi on January 21, 1964, and his term marked a period of transition for Mississippi -- separation of the races began diminishing under the impact of civil rights legislation; the state experienced significant economic growth; Mississippi began accepting federal aid on a large scale; industry expanded; and education became a greater priority than in previous years. Significant accomplishments of his administration were the creation of the Educational Research and Development Center; the floating of $130 million worth of "full faith and credit" state bonds for building a port; and entering into a lease agreement with Litton Industries to build large seagoing vessels in the shipyards at Pascagoula. Litton Industries subsequently became the state's largest employer, and the Standard Oil Company built a large refinery on the Gulf Coast. At the end of his administration, Governor Johnson announced that during his term of office, 549 industrial plants had been built or expanded, offering 38,631 jobs, and that for the first time, more Mississippians were employed in industry than in agriculture. Governor Johnson chaired both the Interstate Oil Compact Commission and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Authority  from 1966 to 1967. He also served on the National Governors' Conference Executive Committee from 1965 to 1966. After leaving the governor's office in 1968, Johnson returned to the practice of law, with offices in both Hattiesburg and Jackson. Toward the end of his life, he suffered a series of strokes, and on October 14, 1985, he died of cardiac arrest. He is interred in Oaklawn Cemetery in Hattiesburg. His father, Paul Burney Johnson Sr., was Governor of Mississippi from 1940 to 1943.

Sources:

Governors of the American States, Commonwealths and Territories, National Governors' Conference, 1967.

University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library and Archives

Mississippi Historical Society