Timothy Peter Johnson (December 28, 1946 – October 8, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1997 to 2015.

He served as Clay County deputy state's attorney in 1985 during his tenure in the South Dakota Senate.

He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large congressional district in 1986.

[2][11] During his tenure in Congress, Johnson supported infrastructure projects that delivered clean drinking water to communities throughout South Dakota and into surrounding states.

3954)[14] to expand the Mni Wiconi Rural Water Project service area, and the expansion was incorporated into a broader bill and enacted as Public Law 103-434.

[22] The authorized project was intended to bring clean, safe drinking water to 180,000 individuals[23] throughout the Lewis and Clark service region.

[citation needed] For more than a decade, executive branch opposition and legal challenges delayed implementation of the labeling law.

[30] Johnson authored the bill[31] establishing the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in western South Dakota.

[32] Johnson was the only seated member of Congress to have a son or daughter serving in the active duty military when the Senate voted to approve the use of force in Iraq.

His oldest son, Brooks, served in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, which would surely be mobilized to fight in Iraq.

[45] Johnson was among the minority of senators to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which anti-abortion groups strongly supported.

[46] While a member of the House, he was one of only 16 congressmen to vote against the Telecom Act of 1996, which provided for deregulation and competition in the communication sector and was given firm support by Republicans, business groups, and most Democrats.

[49] In May 2010, Johnson introduced the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010, a bill that would designate over 48,000 acres (190 km2) of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland as protected wilderness.

During his tenure, Johnson worked on issues including agriculture, rural development, protecting Medicare and Social Security, and expanding access to healthcare.

In 2002, Johnson was reelected by 524 votes over U.S. Representative John Thune, who had succeeded him in South Dakota's at-large House seat.

The race was widely seen as a proxy battle between President George W. Bush, who carried South Dakota comfortably in 2000, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

The couple had three children — Brooks, of Millis, MA; Brendan, the former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota; and Kelsey Billion of Sioux Falls, SD — and eight grandchildren.

In critical condition, he underwent surgery at George Washington University Hospital to drain the blood and stop further bleeding.

[64] His funeral service on October 18 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls was attended by hundreds of people, including several politicians who had served with Johnson.