Sam Johnson /Congressman

Rep. Johnson is second from the right. He served as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. In Korea he flew F-86s in 62 combat missions.

Texas Republican Congressman Sam Johnson has represented the 3rd Congressional District since winning a special election in May 1991. A significant player in the House, he is a member of the Ways & Means Committee, which oversees taxes, tariffs, trade laws, and the Social Security and Medicare systems. He is also a deputy whip, whose fiscal conservatism has been acknowledged by the likes of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business.

Sam Johnson, who grew up in Dallas, graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelors degree in business administration. He then began what turned into a 29-year career in the U. S. Air Force. A veteran of 62 combat missions in Korea, his skills as a pilot were such that he flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team.

In 1966, his F-4 was shot down over North Vietnam and for almost seven years he was a prisoner of war. He spent three years in solitary confinement. His wartime experiences are recounted in his autobiography, Captive Warriors.

He is a recipient of two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit metals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star with "V" device for valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Outstanding Unit Awards. While still in the military, he earned his masters degree in international affairs from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College.

After retiring in 1979, Johnson began a home building company. In 1984, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, where he served seven years before winning a seat in Congress. The husband of the former Shirley Melton, he is the father of three and the grandfather of ten.