Ken Johnson, adviser to 4 OR govs, dies at 82

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A former journalist who advised four Oregon governors has died at age 82.

Ken Johnson most prominently advised Democrat Bob Straub, who was Oregon’s state treasurer from 1965 to 1973 and governor from 1975 to 1979.

The Statesman-Journal says Johnson also served as an adviser to three other governors, Democrat Robert Holmes, Republican Tom McCall and Democrat Neil Goldschmidt.

Johnson died Friday.

He was born May 5, 1928, in what is now Coos Bay to a family that had lived in Oregon since 1850.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1955 from the University of Oregon and worked largely in newspapers for the next 14 years.

Johnson is survived by his wife Sarah; two sons, Chuck and Bruce; a daughter, Nancy Johnson Erickson, and three grandchildren.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com