Senator Owen H. Johnson was first elected to the Senate in 1972 and represented the Fourth Senate District, which encompasses portions of the Towns of Babylon and Islip. He attended West Babylon Grade School and Babylon High School. After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps, he attended and graduated from Hofstra College with a B.A. degree in Political Science. In December, 1998, Senator Johnson was the distinguished recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Hofstra University. During Senator Johnson’s distinguished career in the Senate, he has chaired several committees including Transportation, Environmental Conservation, Social Services and Pensions and from 2003 – 2008, the Senator chaired the powerful Finance committee. During his 37 years as State Senator, Senator Johnson has continually represented the West Babylon Community in the NY Senate. He has successfully secured millions of dollars of State funding for the West Babylon School District for a multitude of programs and capital construction projects; for the West Babylon Fire Dept. for the purchase of Fire Department apparatus, life saving equipment and for construction of training facilities; as well as for the Town of Babylon for road construction, drainage improvements, and expansion/upgrades of park facilities throughout West Babylon.