Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)

Biography

Ron Johnson is a Republican U.S. Senator representing Wisconsin, elected in 2010 after a successful career as a businessman in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Born Ronald Harold Johnson on April 8, 1955, in Mankato, Minnesota, he resides in Oshkosh with his wife Jane, with whom he has three children and four grandchildren. He won re-election to his third term in 2022 and serves on key committees, including as Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and as a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget, Finance, and Aging committees; he previously chaired the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee from 2015-2021.

Education and Political Experience

Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota in 1977, with early admission, and began but did not complete a master’s in business administration. His early work included jobs at Walgreens starting at age 15 as a dishwasher, progressing to night manager. In business, he co-founded a plastics manufacturing company with his brother-in-law, served as CEO after its mid-1980s sale, and reacquired it a decade later, building it over 30 years before entering politics. With no prior elected office experience, he ran for Senate in 2010, propelled by a Tea Party speech opposing federal overreach and Obamacare, winning with nearly 52% of the vote. Notable positions include efforts to address national debt and reverse entitlement dependency.