Keen Johnson was governor of Kentucky from 1939 to 1943 -- years that
spanned the end of the Depression and the initial involvement of this
country in the Second World War. The account of Johnson's administration
is chronicled here through a collection of his public papers. The
material, organized by subject and arranged chronologically within each
area, presents a rather clear picture of Governor Johnson's plans and
concerns for Kentucky and of the actions he took as chief executive on
behalf of the state.
In contrast to contemporary procedures concerning the preservation of
governors' papers in university and state archives, many of the Johnson
papers were difficult to locate and, apart from a few complete speech
manuscripts, were reconstructed in large part from cards containing
outlines and notes for speeches, along with many state and local
newspaper accounts of speeches he made and of events in which he
participated. Many speeches have been extensively footnoted by the
editor to provide the reader with supplementary information.
Also included in this volume is a perceptive evaluation of the Johnson
administration by H. Clyde Reeves, who served in it as a commissioner of
revenue. The appendix offers as complete a listing as was possible to
reconstruct of the speeches delivered by Governor Johnson during his
term of office.