Paul B. Johnson, Jr.

Paul Burney Johnson, Jr. (January 23, 1916 - October 14, 1985) was a Mississippi politican and son of Governor Paul B. Johnson, Sr.. Between 1948 and 1951, he was Assistant U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Mississippi. Johnson ran for the governorship in 1947, 1951, and 1955, losing all three times. In 1959 he competed in the election as a Democrat for lieutenant governor and won. He played a prominent role in trying to prevent James Meredith from enrolling at Ole Miss in 1962, physically blocking federal marshalls escorting Meredith. Johnson won the governor's race in 1963; however, he had faced the first strong Republican candidate, Rubel Phillips[?], that any Democrat had encountered since Reconstruction.