"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Former Cherokee Deputy Chief Remembered

**James "Dee" Johnson**"

TAHLEQUAH, OK - A former Deputy Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation who was instrumental in setting up such programs as health services and housing was remembered recently during a memorial service in Tahlequah.

James Dee “J.D.” Johnson became the Nation’s Deputy Principal Chief in 1968 under Principal Chief W.W. Keeler, where he served as Chair of the Constitutional Revision Committee and assisted in setting up the Nation’s health programs, the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority and Cherokee Nation Industries. He also served as Chair of the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission and as the Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

“The Cherokee Nation lost a great citizen and friend,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “His hard work and dedication will continue to benefit Cherokee citizens today and beyond.”

Johnson was born July 27, 1928, in Stilwell to Charley and Lucy Johnson. A graduate of Sequoyah School, Johnson attended Bacone College and Northeastern State University after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1952. He married Betty Aline Hemphill in 1976.

After working as a field auditor for the Oklahoma Tax Commission from 1977 – 1992, he founded the J.D. Johnson Construction Company where he worked to renovate low-cost housing throughout northeastern Oklahoma. He enjoyed woodworking, fiddling and judging fiddle competitions.

Those considering an expression of sympathy are asked to consider The American Heart Association in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Visit In Memoriam J. D. Johnson, web site by Charles and Ruby Cochran.