Robert Wood Johnson II
Encyclopedia
Robert Wood "General" Johnson II (April 4, 1893 – January 30, 1968) was an American businessman. He was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I
(co-founder of Johnson & Johnson
). He turned the family business into one of the world's largest healthcare corporations.
. His father was Robert Wood Johnson I
, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, and his mother was Evangeline Brewster Armstrong Johnson. Johnson grew up with three siblings: Roberta Johnson, John Seward Johnson I
, and Evangeline Johnson. When he was sixteen, their father died, leaving him an estate of $2,000,000. He was attending Rutgers Prep at the time, and dropped out a few months later to starting working full-time at J&J. This gave him an insight into the workings of the company for the rest of his life.
. He was elected president of Johnson & Johnson
from 1932–1938, and became chairman of the board of J&J in 1938. Johnson also held a reserve commission in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps during the 1930s. At the outbreak of World War II, Johnson's work in identifying products needed by the war effort resulted in the Permacell division of J&J inventing duct tape
for sealing ammunition boxes. J&J plant managers simply took their existing cloth medical adhesive tape, added a waterproof plastic layer with a more aggressive adhesive, and produced it in olive drab (OD) green to match the ammunition cans. During the war, J&J would become a major supplier for combat first aid
kits and other military supplies. In 1941, Johnson started the Ethicon
subsidiary.
In 1942, Johnson's reserve Army commission was activated, and he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general
and assigned to the Ordnance Department. That same year he was nominated by the Roosevelt administration to be vice-chairman of the board of the War Plants Corporation (WPC). When the Smaller War Plants Corporation (SWPC) was established as a division of the WPC in June 1942, Johnson was named chairman of the board of the SWPC., which regulated wartime production of military goods and defense items in smaller defense plants and businesses (500 or fewer employees) dispersed throughout the U.S. economy. The SWPC made direct loans, encouraged commercial lenders to make credit available to small businesses, and advocated for small businesses with federal agencies and larger corporate enterprises.
During his tenure as chairman of the SWPC, Johnson personally oversaw war contracts assigned to more than 6,000 companies. His tenure was a troubled one, and was marked by complaints from small businesses that they were not being awarded a significant portion of the most valuable wartime defense contracts. During 1943, firms with under 100 employees were awarded 86,000 contracts, about 35% of the total number awarded (241,531), but worth only 3.5% of the total value ($35.3 million) of all contracts awarded by the SWPC. Johnson responded by increasing the number of contracts to small businesses, however, instead of examining each company to determine what contribution each could make to the war effort, the SWPC began distributing contracts as a form of relief to prevent setbacks to small concerns with unused factory plant capacity.
As Chairman of the SWPC and an Army general in the Ordnance Branch, Johnson had a tendency to overrule service branch requests for approval for production of specific military armament and ordnance items in favor of competing but less capable designs that could be made more rapidly or with lower material costs, freeing scarce but non-critical materials to small companies so that they could begin the transition to peacetime goods production. This infuriated Johnson's military superiors in the War Department, who realized that the diversion of materials to peacetime production meant less factory capacity for new weapons and increased production of war materiel just as victory seemed to be within the grasp of Allied forces. Unfazed, Johnson lost no opportunity in annoying his military superiors, frequently citing his business experience in support of his decisions.
Matters came to a head in the fall of 1943, when the entire Michigan regional division of the SWPC resigned in protest over the actions of the parent board, stating that the SWPC was "nothing more than a glorified publicity agency". Thomas W. Moss, regional director, announced in a press release that the resignations of the entire Michigan regional division board were included in a resolution sent to Johnson on September 29, 1943. Two days later, on October 1, 1943, Johnson resigned his chairmanship of the SWPC, citing ill health as the reason for his sudden departure.
Johnson returned to his chairmanship at J&J in 1943. In 1962, Johnson, as chairman of the board of J&J, fired his nephew, John Seward Johnson II
. In 1965, he fired his own son, Robert Wood Johnson III
.
. Their marriage lasted until 1928, when they began a two-year trial separation, followed by divorce.
In 1930, Johnson married Margaret Shea. They divorced in 1943.
In 1928, Johnson took up residence at Morven in Princeton, New Jersey
, the historic home of the Stockton family. It was converted into the New Jersey Governor's mansion after Johnson's lease on the property ended in 1945.
Johnson died in 1968. He left the bulk of his $400,000,000 estate to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
. His children already had been provided for in a series of trusts. Johnson was buried at Elmwood Cemetery
in New Brunswick.
Robert Wood Johnson I
Robert Wood Johnson I was an American industrialist. He was also one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson.-Early life:...
(co-founder of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
). He turned the family business into one of the world's largest healthcare corporations.
Early life
Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New JerseyNew Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. His father was Robert Wood Johnson I
Robert Wood Johnson I
Robert Wood Johnson I was an American industrialist. He was also one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson.-Early life:...
, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, and his mother was Evangeline Brewster Armstrong Johnson. Johnson grew up with three siblings: Roberta Johnson, John Seward Johnson I
John Seward Johnson I
John Seward Johnson I was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I . He was also known as J. Seward Johnson, Sr. and Seward Johnson...
, and Evangeline Johnson. When he was sixteen, their father died, leaving him an estate of $2,000,000. He was attending Rutgers Prep at the time, and dropped out a few months later to starting working full-time at J&J. This gave him an insight into the workings of the company for the rest of his life.
Career
Johnson became vice president at J&J in 1918. Johnson also had an abiding interest in politics, and served a term as the Mayor of Highland Park, New JerseyMayor of Highland Park, New Jersey
Mayors of Highland Park, New Jersey:...
. He was elected president of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
from 1932–1938, and became chairman of the board of J&J in 1938. Johnson also held a reserve commission in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps during the 1930s. At the outbreak of World War II, Johnson's work in identifying products needed by the war effort resulted in the Permacell division of J&J inventing duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...
for sealing ammunition boxes. J&J plant managers simply took their existing cloth medical adhesive tape, added a waterproof plastic layer with a more aggressive adhesive, and produced it in olive drab (OD) green to match the ammunition cans. During the war, J&J would become a major supplier for combat first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
kits and other military supplies. In 1941, Johnson started the Ethicon
Ethicon
Ethicon can refer to two distinct subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson:* Ethicon Inc., a manufacturer of surgical sutures and wound closure devices that was founded in 1949...
subsidiary.
In 1942, Johnson's reserve Army commission was activated, and he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and assigned to the Ordnance Department. That same year he was nominated by the Roosevelt administration to be vice-chairman of the board of the War Plants Corporation (WPC). When the Smaller War Plants Corporation (SWPC) was established as a division of the WPC in June 1942, Johnson was named chairman of the board of the SWPC., which regulated wartime production of military goods and defense items in smaller defense plants and businesses (500 or fewer employees) dispersed throughout the U.S. economy. The SWPC made direct loans, encouraged commercial lenders to make credit available to small businesses, and advocated for small businesses with federal agencies and larger corporate enterprises.
During his tenure as chairman of the SWPC, Johnson personally oversaw war contracts assigned to more than 6,000 companies. His tenure was a troubled one, and was marked by complaints from small businesses that they were not being awarded a significant portion of the most valuable wartime defense contracts. During 1943, firms with under 100 employees were awarded 86,000 contracts, about 35% of the total number awarded (241,531), but worth only 3.5% of the total value ($35.3 million) of all contracts awarded by the SWPC. Johnson responded by increasing the number of contracts to small businesses, however, instead of examining each company to determine what contribution each could make to the war effort, the SWPC began distributing contracts as a form of relief to prevent setbacks to small concerns with unused factory plant capacity.
As Chairman of the SWPC and an Army general in the Ordnance Branch, Johnson had a tendency to overrule service branch requests for approval for production of specific military armament and ordnance items in favor of competing but less capable designs that could be made more rapidly or with lower material costs, freeing scarce but non-critical materials to small companies so that they could begin the transition to peacetime goods production. This infuriated Johnson's military superiors in the War Department, who realized that the diversion of materials to peacetime production meant less factory capacity for new weapons and increased production of war materiel just as victory seemed to be within the grasp of Allied forces. Unfazed, Johnson lost no opportunity in annoying his military superiors, frequently citing his business experience in support of his decisions.
Matters came to a head in the fall of 1943, when the entire Michigan regional division of the SWPC resigned in protest over the actions of the parent board, stating that the SWPC was "nothing more than a glorified publicity agency". Thomas W. Moss, regional director, announced in a press release that the resignations of the entire Michigan regional division board were included in a resolution sent to Johnson on September 29, 1943. Two days later, on October 1, 1943, Johnson resigned his chairmanship of the SWPC, citing ill health as the reason for his sudden departure.
Johnson returned to his chairmanship at J&J in 1943. In 1962, Johnson, as chairman of the board of J&J, fired his nephew, John Seward Johnson II
John Seward Johnson II
John Seward Johnson II also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Seward Johnson is an American artist known for his trompe l'oeil painted bronze statues, and a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I ....
. In 1965, he fired his own son, Robert Wood Johnson III
Robert Wood Johnson III
Robert Wood "Bobby" Johnson III was an American philanthropist and businessman. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I .-Early life:Johnson was born New Brunswick, New Jersey...
.
Personal life
In 1916, Johnson married Elizabeth Dixon Ross. They had one child: Robert Wood Johnson IIIRobert Wood Johnson III
Robert Wood "Bobby" Johnson III was an American philanthropist and businessman. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I .-Early life:Johnson was born New Brunswick, New Jersey...
. Their marriage lasted until 1928, when they began a two-year trial separation, followed by divorce.
In 1930, Johnson married Margaret Shea. They divorced in 1943.
In 1928, Johnson took up residence at Morven in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, the historic home of the Stockton family. It was converted into the New Jersey Governor's mansion after Johnson's lease on the property ended in 1945.
Johnson died in 1968. He left the bulk of his $400,000,000 estate to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the United States' largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care; it is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The foundation's mission is to improve the health and health care of all Americans...
. His children already had been provided for in a series of trusts. Johnson was buried at Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery, New Brunswick, New Jersey
The Elmwood Cemetery is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey on the border of North Brunswick, New Jersey. Joyce Kilmer who was buried in France, is honored by a cenotaph erected in his family's plot in the cemetery...
in New Brunswick.