Timothy Peter "Tim" Johnson is the senior United States Senator from South Dakota, serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as the United States Representative for South Dakota's At-large congressional district from 1987 to 1997, and in the state legislature from 1979 to 1986. Johnson was born in Canton, South Dakota, the son of Ruth Jorinda and Vandel Charles Johnson. He has Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish ancestry. Raised in Vermillion, Johnson earned a B.A. in 1969 and an M.A. in 1970 from the University of South Dakota, where he was a member of the... Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After doing post-graduate studies at Michigan State University from 1970 to 1971, a period during which he worked for the Michigan State Senate, Johnson returned to the University of South Dakota and earned his J.D. in 1975. Immediately after earning his law degree, he went into private practice. Johnson served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1979 to 1982 and in the South Dakota Senate from 1983 to 1986.
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