George E. Q. Johnson was a U.S. Attorney in Chicago, Illinois who successfully won tax evasion

Tax evasion

Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...

 convictions of Al Capone

Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...

 and several of his associates. He briefly served as a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

.

Born in the unincorporated community of Lanyon, Iowa

Lanyon, Iowa

Lanyon is an unincorporated community in Lost Grove Township in Webster County, Iowa, United States. It is located 17 miles south of the county seat of Fort Dodge, 2.65 miles south and 1 mile west of Harcourt , and 3.3 miles north and 4.5 miles west of Boxholm. It is made up of seven blocks,...

 (in Webster County, Iowa

Webster County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 38,013 in the county, with a population density of . There were 17,035 housing units, of which 15,580 were occupied.-2000 census:...

), Johnson received a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from Tobin College in Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...

 in 1897 and an LL.B. from Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....

 in 1900. He was in private practice in Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 from 1900 to 1927. He was a Master in Chancery, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

 from 1923 to 1927. He was a U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1927 to 1932. During this tenure he was able to famously convict Al Capone

Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...

 for tax evasion. He had earlier won tax evasion convictions of
Capone henchmen Ralph ("Bottles") Capone

Ralph Capone

Ralph "Bottles" Capone, Sr., was a Chicago mobster and an older brother of Al Capone. Ralph Capone got the nickname "Bottles" from the fact that he lobbied the Illinois Legislature to put into law that milk bottling companies had to stamp the date that the milk was bottled on the...

, Sam Guzick, and Frank Nitti

Frank Nitti

Francesco Raffaele Nitto , also known as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, was an Italian American gangster. One of Al Capone's top henchmen, Nitti was in charge of all strong-arm and 'muscle' operations...

.

The year after Capone was convicted, Johnson became a federal district court judge. On August 3, 1932, Johnson received a recess appointment

Recess appointment

A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...

 from Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...

 to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....

 created by 46 Stat. 1417. Formally nominated on December 7, 1932, Johnson was not confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, and his service was terminated on March 3, 1933. Johnson then returned to private practice in Illinois from 1933 until his death in 1949.

Sources