Haynes Johnson

Haynes Johnson (July 9, 1931 – May 24, 2013) was an American journalist, historian, and author. Renowned for his investigative reporting and commentary on American politics, Johnson worked at The Washington Post for much of his career. He received the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1966 for his coverage of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama.

Early Life and Education

Haynes Bonner Johnson was born in New York City in 1931. His father, Malcolm Johnson, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for his reporting on organized crime. Haynes Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri and later completed a Master’s degree in American History at the University of Wisconsin.

Career

Johnson began his journalism career at the Washington Star before joining The Washington Post in 1969. Over his decades-long career, he reported on major events in modern American history, including the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and multiple presidential elections. His work often combined detailed research with a focus on political and social trends.

In addition to journalism, Johnson authored or co-authored numerous books analyzing political and social issues in the United States. His writings explored themes such as government accountability, partisan divisions, and the evolution of American society during key historical moments.

Bibliography

Books

• Dusk at the Mountain: The Negro, the Nation, and the Capital - a report on Problems and Progress (1963)
• The Bay of Pigs: The Leaders' Story of Brigade 2506 (1964)
• The Unions: The Story of the Great Labor Uprising of the 1930s (1972)
• In the Absence of Power: Governing America (1980)
• Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years (1991)
• Divided We Fall: Gambling with History in the Nineties (1994)
• The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point (1996, with David S. Broder)
• The Best of Times: The Boom and Bust Years of America before and after Everything Changed (2002)
• Herblock: The Life and Work of the Great Political Cartoonist (2009)
• The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election (2009, with Dan Balz)

Articles and Contributions

Johnson contributed to various publications, addressing topics such as political polarization, media influence on public perception, and the relationship between government and society.

Edited Works

• Witness to a Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious, and the Three SOBs (1999)