Philip W. Johnston is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman, politician, and former Secretary of Human Services in Massachusetts and Regional Administrator of Health and Human Services for New England.

Philip received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...

 and a Master of Arts Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government

John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...

 at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

.

Johnston is currently (since 1996) the president and founder of Johnston Associates, a communications and public affairs consulting firm. He is Chair of the Board of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights is a human rights advocacy organization, a nonprofit charitable organization that works to realize Robert Kennedy's dream of a peaceful and just world by advancing human rights...

. He also sits on the Boards of the University of Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts

This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...

, the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute

The Roosevelt Institute is a progressive non-profit organization devoted to carrying forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of restoring America's health and security...

, and Stop Handgun Violence.

He was elected to the state legislature five times. From 1984 to 1991, he served as Secretary of Human Services in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis

Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...

. He also served as executive director of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. In 1992 he was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 to serve as the New England Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he served until 1996. Johnston was twice elected chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, in 2000 and 2004.

1996 Congressional election

In 1996, Johnston was a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 10th District of Massachusetts. Johnston was initially declared the winner, and an official recount in a several contested towns preserved Johnston's victory, though by a narrower margin. Following the recount, Delahunt sought judicial review in the Massachusetts Superior Court

Massachusetts Superior Court

The Massachusetts Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000, and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions involving labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, and has exclusive authority to convene medical...

, and Judge Elizabeth Donvan conducted a de novo review of the contested ballots and declared Delahunt the victor by a 108-vote margin. The case appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...

, which upheld the lower court ruling. The case is also noteworthy for the issue of "hanging chads" in punch-card voting machines. Their court case would later be referenced as a precedent in the Bush-Gore Florida Supreme Court Case.