Cheryl L. Johnson

Cheryl Lynn Johnson (born May 8, 1960) is an American government official who served as the 36th Clerk of the United States House of Representatives from February 26, 2019, to June 30, 2023. Between January 3, 2023, and January 7, 2023, Johnson served as the acting presiding officer of the House while the election of a speaker for the 118th United States Congress was deadlocked until Kevin McCarthy was elected after 15 ballots. Early life and education Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Austin Johnson and Cynthia Terry Davis. Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication in 1980. She earned her J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law in 1984. She is a graduate of the senior management program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Career In Congress, Johnson served as director and counsel of the United States House Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials, House Committee on Post Office, and Civil Service Subcommittee on Investigations. She worked with the Subcommittee chair, Bill Clay, to exercise oversight and legislative responsibility over the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution.