Robert Wood Johnson II

Robert Wood Johnson II (April 4, 1893 – January 30, 1968) was a United States businessman. He was the president of Johnson & Johnson between 1932 and 1938, and chairman of the board from 1938 until 1963. He was the son of the founder of J&J, Robert Wood Johnson I. He managed the company during the period of growth where J&J became an international corporation.

Early career

Robert Wood Johnson II was born on April 4, 1893 in New Brunswick, New Jersey to the upper-class family of Robert Wood Johnson I and Evangeline Johnson. When he was sixteen, his father died, leaving him an estate of $2,000,000. At the time Johnson's father died, he was attending Rutgers Prep. Johnson dropped-out of Rutgers Prep after only a few months and 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 married E.D. Ross in 1916. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Miss E.D. Ross a Bride. Weds Robert Wood Johnson at Her Home. |url= |quote= |publisher=New York Times |date=October 19, 1916, Thursday |accessdate=2007-07-21 ] During the World War I the company would go though a time of growth and it would not stop until the Great Depression.

World War II

Johnson held a reserve commission in the Quartermaster Corps during the 1930s. In World War II, he became a brigadier general and served as chairman of the Small War Plants Corporation (SWPC). During his tenure the SWPC was said to have saved "Small Industry" in America. Johnson personally over saw war contracts given to more than 6,000 companies. However, while in Washington Johnson made many adversaries and was forced to resign, in 1943. Johnson told newspapers that he was too ill to continue.

His involvement in identifying products needed by the war effort resulted in the Permacell division of Johnson & Johnson inventing duct tape for sealing ammunition boxes. They simply took their existing cloth medical adhesive tape, added a waterproof plastic layer with a more aggressive adhesive and produced it in olive green to match the ammunition cans.

Also during the war Johnson & Johnson would be a major supplier for combat first aid kits and other military supplies. In 1941 Johnson started the Ethicon subsidiary.

His son, Robert Wood Johnson III, was the president of Johnson & Johnson from 1963 to 1965. In 1964 there was a falling out, and Robert Wood Johnson II, as chairman, fired his son.

Death

Robert Wood Johnson II died on January 30, 1968, and left the bulk of his $400,000,000 estate to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Robert Wood Johnson, 74, Dies; Chairman of Johnson & Johnson; Founder's Son Led Company Until 1963. No. 2 Man on War Production Board. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A13FC3E541A7493C3AA178AD85F4C8685F9 |quote= |publisher=New York Times |date=January 31, 1968 |accessdate=2007-07-21 ] His children already had been provided for in a series of trusts. Johnson was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in New Brunswick. [ [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/johnson7.html#08R1ER39V Johnson, Robert Wood, Jr.] , The Political Graveyard. Accessed August 16, 2007, Wednesday.]

References

Further reading

*Lawrence G. Foster; Robert Wood Johnson: The Gentleman Rebel