Sam Johnson

Samuel Spencer Johnson (September 1, 1911 – June 20, 1984) was an American businessman, legislator, and philanthropist in the state of Oregon. He owned saw mills and large tracts of timber land near the Metolius River, Black Butte, and Sisters, Oregon. He served seven terms in the Oregon House of Representatives; and along with his wife, founded the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation. He also served as mayor of Redmond, Oregon, from 1979 to 1984.

After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley's School of Forestry in 1934, Johnson returned to Central Oregon to act as his father's agent, buying and selling timber and land. During that time, Johnson lived in the old Sisters Hotel. In 1935, his father sold the that included the Metolius headwaters to him for one dollar. In the early 1930s, the Johnsons opened a saw mill in Sisters in partnership with Bert Peterson,

During World War II, Johnson served in the Army Corps of Engineers. As an Army Captain, Johnson ran the Corps of Engineers' procurement office in Portland, Oregon, that bought lumber and wood products from around Oregon and shipped them from the Port of Astoria to Army engineer and Navy Seabee units in the Pacific.

Businessman

After the war, the Johnsons opened a new saw mill in Redmond, Oregon. The mill had direct access to the railroad so the operation could be greatly expanded. In 1948, Johnson bought his father's Oregon timber holdings and mills, and opened his own office in Sisters.

Public service

In 1965, Johnson was elected to a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives, and was re-elected six more times, serving continuously through the 1977 legislative session. While he was a conservative Republican, he was also a well known champion of progressive government and a mentor to legislators of both parties. He retired from the legislature undefeated in 1978, and ran for mayor of Redmond. He was elected for a two-year term in 1979, and was re-elected in 1981 and 1983, serving in that position until his death in June 1984.

He and his wife, Becky, established the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation in 1948. Over the years, the Johnson charitable foundation funded numerous projects that fostered respect for nature, history and education. After Sam Johnson's death, his wife continued as the president of the foundation until her death in January 2007. Betsy Johnson has served in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate - as a Democrat representing Columbia County.