Jeh Johnson Bio
Jeh Charles Johnson (born September 11, 1957) is an American lawyer, government official, and politician who served as the 4th United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. He is widely recognized for his senior legal roles inside the federal government and for his long career at the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
A member of the Democratic Party, Johnson previously served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012 and as General Counsel of the Air Force under President Bill Clinton. After leaving the Cabinet, he rejoined private practice, serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, and co-chairs the board of trustees of Columbia University. He is also a frequent media commentator on national security, law, and public policy.
Jeh Johnson Career
Early Career (1984–1998)
Jeh Charles Johnson began his legal career as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in November 1984. In 1989, he left the firm to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the public corruption section of the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted politicians, police officers, and immigration agents.
Johnson returned to Paul, Weiss in 1992 and was elected partner in 1994, becoming the first African-American partner in the firm’s history. He later chaired the New York City Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2004 and was shortlisted in 2007 for Chief Judge of New York.
Air Force General Counsel (1998–2001)
In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Johnson as General Counsel of the Air Force, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him to the post. As General Counsel, he was the senior legal official in the Air Force and the Governor of the Air Force-administered Wake Island. His tenure coincided with the 1999 NATO Operation Allied Force, and he was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for his work.
Department of Defense General Counsel (2009–2012)
On January 8, 2009, President-elect Barack Obama announced Johnson’s nomination as General Counsel of the Department of Defense, and the Senate confirmed him on February 9, 2009, by voice vote. In that role, he was heavily involved in reforming military commissions and testified before Congress in support of the Military Commissions Act of 2009.
Johnson also co-chaired a working group with Army General Carter Ham to study the potential impact of repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, reporting in November 2010 that the risk to military effectiveness from repeal would be low. He gave widely covered speeches on national security, including remarks at The Heritage Foundation, Yale Law School, and the Oxford Union, and he personally authored the legal opinion supporting the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
Secretary of Homeland Security (2013–2017)
President Barack Obama nominated Jeh Charles Johnson as the fourth U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in October 2013. The Senate confirmed him on December 16, 2013, by a 78–16 vote, and he was sworn in on December 23, 2013. One of his first major efforts was a “unity of effort” initiative designed to help the department operate in a more coordinated way.
During his tenure, Johnson led the department’s response to the 2014 surge of unaccompanied children and families at the southern border and the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa. In November 2014, he worked with President Obama on ten executive actions addressing the 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States after comprehensive immigration legislation stalled in the House of Representatives.
Post-Government Career (2017–Present)
After leaving office in January 2017, Johnson rejoined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City. He co-chairs the board of trustees of Columbia University and serves on the boards of MetLife and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. He is also a frequent commentator on NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS, MS NOW, CNN, and NewsNation, and he hosts the public radio show All Things Soul on WBGO in Newark, New Jersey.
In April 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy appointed Johnson to a seven-state regional working group to develop a plan for reopening the economy after the COVID-19 crisis. In June 2020, the Chief Judge of New York State appointed him Special Advisor on Equal Justice in the courts, and he later issued a 100-page public report on disparities in the state court system. In June 2025, Johnson retired from Paul, Weiss after more than 40 years of association with the firm.
Notable Events and Milestones
Johnson served as the designated survivor for the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump. He has been an outspoken voice on civil political dialogue, in 2018 publicly criticized the Trump administration’s family separation practice, and has opposed calls to abolish ICE. He co-authored a 2021 statement arguing against parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted killer of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Jeh Johnson Career Awards
Jeh Charles Johnson has received numerous awards for public service, legal leadership, and national security work across more than two decades in government and private practice.
Major Honors
In December 2018, Johnson received the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award at the Reagan Presidential Library, honoring his contributions to the defense of the United States. In December 2021, he was a recipient of The American Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and in May 2022, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Recent Recognitions
In January 2024, Johnson received the gold medal, the highest honor of the New York State Bar Association. In October 2024, he won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Law Journal. He has also received three Department of Defense medals for distinguished public service and thirteen honorary degrees.
Jeh Johnson Family
Family Background and Legacy
Jeh Charles Johnson was born in New York City to Norma (Edelin), who worked for Planned Parenthood, and Jeh Vincent Johnson, an architect and lecturer at Vassar College. His maternal uncle, Kenneth C. Edelin, was a physician and a defendant in a landmark case involving abortion rights. His paternal grandfather, Charles S. Johnson, was a sociologist and president of Fisk University. The first name “Jeh” was taken from a Liberian chief who reportedly saved his grandfather’s life during a League of Nations mission to Liberia in 1930.
Johnson was raised in Wappingers Falls, New York, and graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School in 1975. He later described himself as “a big underachiever” in his early school years, before a vision of becoming an attorney inspired him to raise his grades during college.
Personal Life
On March 18, 1994, Johnson married Susan Maureen DiMarco, a dentist, at Corpus Christi Church in New York City. The two had grown up across the street from one another in Wappingers Falls, New York. At the request of the Secretary of the Navy, Dr. DiMarco served as the sponsor at the christening of the USS New Jersey, a Virginia-class submarine. Johnson has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey, and was in New York City on September 11, 2001, which coincided with his 44th birthday. He has frequently referenced the September 11 attacks in his public speeches.