Editing Hiram Johnson (section)

==Legacy==
During his first term [[gubernatorial]] inaugural address on January 3, 1911, Johnson declared that his first duty was "to eliminate every private interest from the government and to make the public service of the State responsive solely to the people."  Committed to "arm the people to protect themselves" against such abuses, Johnson proposed amending the state Constitution with "the initiative, the referendum and the recall." All three of these progressive reforms were enacted during his governorship, forever guaranteeing Johnson's stature as the preeminent progressive reformer of California politics.  His contribution as the driving force behind the direct democratic process for removal of elected officials was revisited in the media and by the general public during the successful [[2003 California recall election]] of Democratic governor [[Gray Davis]]. Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], the eventual winner, referred to Johnson's progressive legacy in his campaign speeches. Johnson's stature in fostering the California recall and ballot initiative direct democratic processes again surfaced in the media during the unsuccessful [[2021 California recall election]] of Democratic governor [[Gavin Newsom]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-05/california-recall-hiram-johnson-history-direct-democracy|title=  Has California's unique brand of direct democracy gone too far? Recall is ultimate test |date= September 5, 2021|first = Thomas |last= Curwen |agency =[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

On August 25, 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger and his wife, [[Maria Shriver]], announced that Johnson would be one of 13 inducted into the [[California Hall of Fame]] that year.

Johnson held the record as California's longest-serving United States Senator for over 75 years, until it was broken by Democrat [[Dianne Feinstein]] on March 28, 2021. He remains the longest serving Republican senator and the longest serving male senator from California.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-03-28/dianne-feinstein-becomes-californias-longest-serving-us-senator|title=  Dianne Feinstein becomes California's longest-serving U.S. senator |date= March 28, 2021|first = Jennifer |last= Haberkorn |agency =[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

The Hiram Johnson papers, consisting primarily of hundreds of letters that Johnson wrote to his two sons over the course of decades, and that his son, Hiram Jr. donated in 1955, reside at the [[Bancroft Library]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref>[http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf8t1nb3kr/ Hiram Johnson papers, 1895–1945]</ref>

[[Hiram Johnson High School]] in [[Sacramento, California]] is named in his honor.