P.O. Box 901, Prosser WA 99350 /wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com / 360.597.4411

Paul H. Johnson was born on September 3, 1917, in Seattle to Gustave H. Johnson and Gunhild Jansson. One of seven children, Johnson attended school in Arlington and Seattle, graduating from Ballard High School in 1936. He was an accomplished trumpet player who often played at church and in a trio with his two brothers on the radio.

 

Johnson worked as a shipping clerk at a Seattle based retailer in 1940, before serving four years and three months in the United States Army during World War II. He was mainly stationed at Kodiak, Alaska, as a member of the military police.

 

His career with the Washington Highway Patrol began as a clerk in Wenatchee on August 5, 1946. He was later a member of the 14th cadet class and commissioned as a patrolman on October 1, 1946. Patrolman Johnson was assigned to Olympia, then transferred to North Bend, Renton, Seattle, and back to North Bend in 1949.

 

Patrolman Paul Johnson died on December 12, 1949, at the age of 32. Patrolman Johnson died of a gunshot wound after responding to a neighborhood disturbance near Snoqualmie. At the time of his death, Patrolman Johnson had served three years with the Washington Highway Patrol.

 

Patrolman Johnson's younger brother, Harold, passed away in December 2019, and Harold's wife Esther, passed away in August 2022. Trooper Johnson's sister, passed away in February 2017, and his other brother, Alvin, passed away in December 2017.

 

In May of 1998, Patrolman Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his actions on December 12, 1949, by the Law Enforcement – Medal of Honor Committee.

 

On Friday, May 20, 2016, a dedication ceremony of a memorial to honor and remember King County Troopers was held at the Bellevue District Office. When you visit the Bellevue District Office, take a moment to stop by the beautiful memorial that was created in remembrance of King County Troopers.

 

A ceremony was held on December 13, 2019, at the Bellevue District Office to honor the 70th anniversary of Patrolman Johnson’s line of duty death.  

 

On December 13, 2024, a wreath will be placed at the Bellevue District to honor the 75th anniversary of Patrolman Johnson’s line of duty death.  

 

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