Except for a few scattered items, the papers of farmer-legislator Lawrence H. Johnson entirely document the legislative portion of his career. In addition to the intrinsic value of the files, his papers supplement collections of assemblymen Frank Graass and Lary J. Swoboda held by the Society, thereby providing continuous documentation of their diverse district from the early years of the twentieth century.
Included in the collection are agenda and summary proceedings of various committees; correspondence from constituents, colleagues, and organizations; memoranda; reports; and informational printed matter. The collection is organized as an alphabetical subject file, with the majority of the headings those utilized in Johnson's office. Many of the files relate to Johnson's work on local issues (especially his advocacy of the dairy industry) and to his service on committees. Work on the Education Committee is particularly well documented and includes files on parochial school legislation and county teachers colleges. Unfortunately the majority of the constituent correspondence about the parochial school legislation which led to his defeat was destroyed prior to transfer of the papers to the Society. Other important files include those on the Governor's Task Force on the 1965 Social Security Amendment (Medicare), the Legislative Council's Interim Education Committee, and the Task Force on Local Government Organization and Finance (the Tarr Committee).
The only non-legislative material in the collection consists of speeches and miscellany.
