Walter E. Johnston III

Gene Johnston
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Carolina's6thdistrict
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	L. Richardson Preyer
Succeeded by	Robin Britt
Personal details
Born	Walter Eugene Johnston III (1936-03-03)March 3, 1936 Winston-Salem,North Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 28, 2018(2018-03-28)(aged 82) St. Petersburg, Florida,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Duke University Wake Forest University(BS,JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1954–1957

Walter Eugene Johnston III(March 3, 1936 – March 28, 2018), usually known asGene Johnston,was an American politician who served as a member of theUnited States House of RepresentativesfromNorth Carolinabetween 1981 and 1983.

Biography

Johnston was born inWinston-Salem, North Carolina,and attended local public schools. He graduated from theGeorgia Military Academyin 1953, and then enrolled as a student atDuke Universityfor one year before entering into the armed forces. He served in theUnited States Army,Specialist Five from 1954 to 1957. He returned to school atWake Forest University,earning a degree in accounting, and returning to receive aJuris Doctor.He was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1961 and commenced practice inGreensboro, North Carolina.Johnston practicedtax lawfrom 1967 to 1980. He was employed as a CPA by A.M Pullen & Co. in the early 1960s.

Johnston was elected as aRepublicanto the97th Congressin the 1980 elections, defeating 12-year incumbentRich Preyerby a narrow 4,000-vote margin. He was likely helped byRonald Reagancarrying his Greensboro-based district. However, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1982, losing his bid toRobin Britt.Johnston served as North Carolina Chairman for the Reagan/Bush reelection Committee in 1984 and a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Afterward, he became chairman of the board of a commercial printing company in Greensboro and chairman of Pace Communications a large commercial publisher. Johnston was an unsuccessful candidate in 1992 for the Republican nomination for theUnited States Senate.He ultimately retired from politics and resided in Greensboro and St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 1992, he was appointed to the Board of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority and subsequently was elected its chairman. In 1996 the authority successfully recruited a Federal Express sorting facility and hub. Johnston remains an underwriting member ofLloyd's of London,a position he has held since 1977. Governor James Martin appointed Johnston to the Advisory Budget Commission for the State of North Carolina in 1985, and also appointed him to the Global Transpark Authority.

Johnston had three sons, one daughter and many grandchildren. He died from congestive heart failure on March 28, 2018, at the age of 82.

Sources

• United States Congress."Walter E. Johnston III (id: J000200)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• AppearancesonC-SPAN