Writer Marc C. Johnson will lecture about U.S. Sen. Burton K. Wheeler and sign copies of his book about the legendary Montana senator at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the Procrastinator Theater in Montana State University’s Strand Union Building. A reception will follow in the adjacent Leigh Lounge.

Johnson’s book, “Political Hell-Raiser: The Life and Times of Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana,” tells the story of the controversial political figure and chronicles how his successes and failures were woven into the political fabric of 20th century America.

Johnson has worked as a broadcast journalist, an aide to former Idaho Gov. Cecil D. Andrus, and a public affairs and crisis communications consultant. A student of political history, Johnson writes and speaks regularly on the subject, with particular focus on the New Deal era, U.S. Senate history and the American presidency. He is a longtime board member of the Burton K. Wheeler Center.

Wheeler, who lived from 1882 to 1975, served four terms in the Senate between 1923 and 1947. He was a New Deal Democrat but also a fiercely independent politician who switched parties and ran for vice president on the Progressive Party ticket in 1924. He is best remembered for his battle to block President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court with more justices and his Senate investigation into corruption in the Warren G. Harding administration’s Justice Department.

The lecture and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Burton K. Wheeler Center at 406-994-6336 or email wheelercenter@montana.edu.