Royal Cleaves Johnson Biography


	This biography extracted from "Biographical Directory of the 
	American Congress 1774-1961", published by the U. S. Government 
	Printing Office. Page 1130.

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JOHNSON, Royal Cleaves, a Representative from South Dakota; born in 
Cherokee, Cherokee County, Iowa, October 3, 1882; moved with his parents 
to Highmore, Hyde County, S. Dak., March 19, 1883; attended the public 
schools; was graduated from the law department of the University of South 
Dakota at Vermillion in 1906; was admitted to the bar in 1906 and commenced 
practice in Highmore, S. Dak.; assistant State's attorney of Hyde County in 
1906 and 1907 and State's attorney of the same county in 1908 and 1909; moved 
to Aberdeen, S. Dak., in 1913 and resumed the practice of law; attorney 
general of South Dakota 1910-1914; elected as a Republican to the Sixty-
fourth and to the eight succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915-March 3,1933); 
was not a candidate for renomination in 1932; during the First World War 
tendered his resignation to Speaker Champ Clark, which was not entertained, 
whereupon he absented himself from the House and on January 5, 1918, enlisted 
in the Army; served in the Three Hundred and Thirteenth Infantry as private, 
sergeant, second lieutenant, and first lieutenant; was wounded at Mout Faucon, 
in the Meuse-Argonne attack, on Septetnber 27, 1918, and was honorably 
discharged December 20, 1918; was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross 
by the United States Government and the Croix de Guerre with gold star by 
the Republic of France; continued to practice law in Washington, D. C., 
until his death there on August 2, 1939; interment in Arlington National 
Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va.