BELOIT, Wis. (AP) - Former Assembly Majority Leader Gary K. Johnson has died at his home in Madison, his wife, Heather Johnson, says. He was 68.

Johnson, a Democrat, represented the Beloit area in the Wisconsin Assembly from 1970 to 1984, holding powerful positions as Assembly Majority Leader and chairman of the Joint Finance Committee.

He was born Sept. 14, 1939, in Grand Forks, N.D., and moved to Wisconsin in 1945, his wife said. He graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1957 and Beloit College in 1963.

Johnson taught social studies at Beloit Memorial High School before entering politics.

He was elected to the 25th Assembly District in 1970, when it included Beloit.