Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Augustus C. Johnson Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Source of Acquisition

Augustus C. Johnson

Method of Acquisition

Gift. Accession #A99-12

Accruals and Additions

Second accession: 3/29/2000

Biographical or Historical Information

Augustus C. Johnson was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1914. He graduated from Southampton High School in 1930. After his father lost his farm, Johnson went to Washington to work for the Government Printing Office in 1931. That same year, he began taking night classes at George Washington University (GWU) and joined the Army National Guard.

Johnson spent World War II working in a war plant and a West Coast shipyard. He also spent a year during the war working as a civilian employee for the Army Engineers in the Alaskan War Zone.

After the war, Johnson returned to education. At GWU, he taught mathematics and received his Master's degree. In 1948, he went on to become an assistant professor of physics at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey. There he met his wife, Constantia Hommann, and fathered their daughter, Muriel.

Johnson spent the next decade working as Research Director and Senior Scientist at Booz-Allen Applied Research. He worked on arms control, guided missiles, and computer projects, as well as a data collection system for NASA. He worked a year for Doxiadis Systems Development Corporation as Director of Comparative Urban Studies. Johnson then spent another decade working for the MITRE Corporation as Solar Energy Group Leader. His work included environmental and conservation studies, housing and urban development projects, and developing government programs in solar energy research and development. Later, he served three years working as Chief Statistician for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where he retired in 1980.

Johnson began his political work in 1952. He began by doing precinct work for the Democratic Party. The following year he became a member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Later, he became Fairfax County Democratic Chairman. He was chairman of the Tenth District Democratic Committee and a member of the Virginia State Democratic Committee. In 1962 and 1964, Johnson ran as the Democratic candidate for Congress from the Tenth District. Years later Johnson served on the Madison County Democratic Committee. In addition to his work in the Democratic Party, Johnson also served on environmental and United Nations committees, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Johnson wrote political editorials for the Northern Virginia Sun in the early 1970s, and continued expressing his political views through letters to the editor in the 1990s. He also took his politics to the internet with a Virginia political web page in the late 1990s.

Johnson passed away December 14, 2006. In February of 2007 a bill, HJ802: Celebrating the life of Augustus C. Johnson, was passed in the Virginia General Assembly.

Note written by Mel Frizzell

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of editorials written by Augustus C. Johnson for the Northern Virginia Sun in 1970 and 1971, as well as letters to the editor of several papers from 1993 to 2000. The editorials and letters mostly deal with politics of Virginia's 10th congressional district. Some of the personalities discussed in the collection include Joel T. Broyhill, Henry E. Howell, George Rawlings, Harry F. Byrd, Jr., William B. Spong, Linwood Holton, and Mills Godwin. Also included is a copy of Johnson's web page from 2000 related to Virginia politics. Some of the topics on the web page include George W. Bush, prayer in schools, the first and second amendments, and an essay about breaking up the Byrd machine in Virginia.

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Related Material

Additional papers regarding Augustus C. Johnson's personal, professional, and political life from 1931-1992 may be found at the Fairfax County Public Library. 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324 Fairfax, VA 22035 (703) 324-3100.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Democratic Party (Va.)
• Northern Virginia sun
• United States--Politics and government--20th century
• Virginia--Politics and government