Gary K. Johnson was born September 14, 1939 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He attended Beloit, Wisconsin public schools and graduated from Beloit College in 1963. He was a teacher in the Beloit school system from 1963 to 1971. Johnson was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in November 1970 as representative of the 45th District. He served on the Joint Committee on Finance and was co-chair of the committee, served on the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Legislative Council, and numerous other committees. He as chose Assembly Majority Leader in January 1981. In 1984, Johnson retired to become a District Manager for Public Affairs with Wisconsin Bell.
