Bolley Johnson

Bolley Johnson
87th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
November 17, 1992 – November 22, 1994
Preceded byT. K. Wetherell
Succeeded byPeter Rudy Wallace
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 1st district
In office
November 3, 1992 – November 8, 1994
Preceded byTom Tobiassen[1]
Succeeded byJerrold Burroughs
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 4th district
In office
November 7, 1978 – November 3, 1992
Preceded byEd Fortune[2]
Succeeded byJames P. Kerrigan[3]
Personal details
Born (1951-11-15) November 15, 1951 (age 73)
Milton, Florida
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJudi
Alma materFlorida State University

Bolley L. "Bo" Johnson (born November 15, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, Johnson was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, and served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.[4]

Early life

Johnson is from Milton, Florida. His father and grandfather served as county commissioners for Santa Rosa County, Florida. Johnson graduated from Milton High School, and became the first member of his family to attend college. He received his bachelor's degree from Florida State University.[5]

Career

Bo Johnson (photographed by Donn Dughi (Donald Gregory)

Johnson volunteered for Mallory Horne when Horne served as the president of the Florida Senate. At the age of 22, Johnson met Lawton Chiles, then a member of the United States Senate, who hired him as a legislative aide in 1973.[5][6]

Johnson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 4th district from November 7, 1978, to November 3, 1992. He also served the 1st district from November 3, 1992, to November 8, 1994.[5] He became the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in 1992.

Arrest and conviction

In 1999, Johnson and his wife were convicted of tax evasion, for failing to report income earned from consulting with Bally Entertainment.[7] He was sentenced to two years in prison, while Judi was sentenced to 15 months.[8] They began serving their sentences on August 30.[9]

After

He decided not to run for re-election to the Florida House in 1994.[10] He opted not to run for the United States House of Representatives.[11] After leaving politics, Johnson moved to Pensacola, Florida, where he worked as a real estate broker.[12]

Personal

In 1999 Bolley "Bo" Johnson was convicted of tax evasion along with his wife Judi. According to court documents they failed report $452,675 in consulting fee income. Both of them served 15 months in federal prison.[13]

Johnson and his wife, Judi, have a daughter. A niece also lived with them as a child.[9] Johnson is a Methodist.

References

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 001 Race - Nov 03, 1992". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  2. ^ "House of Representatives". January 13, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 004 Race - Nov 06, 1990". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  4. ^ "House Speaker Bolley Johnson Off To Rocky Start In New Session". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. 1992-11-26. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  5. ^ a b c "Reared on politics, Johnson comes of age". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Associated Press. 23 November 1992. p. 6B. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  6. ^ "NewsBank for PBP | www.palmbeachpost.com". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  7. ^ "Hearings start; LV firm likely to keep license". Las Vegas Sun. September 22, 1999. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  8. ^ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  9. ^ a b "Bo Johnson Goes To Jail Today". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel.
  10. ^ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  11. ^ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  12. ^ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  13. ^ "Florida's Ex-Speaker Goes to Jail". Associated Press. August 30, 1999.