|
John
H. Johnson
(b.
1918)
Publisher & Business Executive
John
H. Johnson -- born January 19, 1918 in rural
Arkansas City, Arkansas -- was the grandson of
slaves His father Leroy Johnson was
killed in a sawmill accident when "young
Johnny" was eight years of age. His mother Gertrude
Jenkins Johnson further impoverished did not give hope
and her faith they could have more than what Arkansas
offered. She
saved her meager earnings as a cook and washerwoman for
years until she could afford to move her family to Chicago.
There, Johnson was exposed to something he never knew existed:
middle class blacks. He attended an all black high school during
the day and poured over self-improvement books at night. His classmates
at DuSable High were Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx and future
entrepreneur William Abernathy.
Johnson is the founder, publisher, chairman
and CEO of the Johnson Publishing Company Inc., Chicago, Ill.,
the largest black-owned publishing company in the world. Ebony
is the nation's number one African-American -oriented magazine
with a circulation of 1.7 million and a monthly readership of 11
million.
Johnson Publishing Company also has a book
division and employs more than 2,600 people with sales of over
$388 million.
Johnson Publishing owns Fashion Fair
Cosmetics, the number one makeup and skin care company for women
of color around the world and Supreme Beauty products, hair care
for men and women and is involved in television production and
produces the Ebony Fashion Fair, the world's largest traveling
fashion show, which has donated over $47 million to charity. The
show visits more than 200 cities in the United States, Canada
and the Caribbean.
Johns H. Johnson serves on the boards of directors of Dillard's
Inc., and he has served on the boards of First Commercial Bank,
Little Rock; Dial Corporation; Zenith Radio Corporation; and
Chrysler Corporation.
* * * *
*
* * * *
*
A Chronology of Achievement
1933 -- Moves with his
mother to Chicago, part of African-America's Great
Migration and enrolled in DuSable
High School
1936 -- on graduation invited to speak
at a dinner held by the Urban League.
President of the Supreme Liberty Life
Insurance Company, Harry Pace was so impressed with Johnson's
speech that he offered him a job and a scholarship to attend
college part-time. Late 30s dropped his studies at the
University of Chicago
1939 -- 21 years old and becomes
editor of Pace's in-house magazine. Collecting articles
culled from national publications, Johnson realizes he's struck
gold.
1941 -- married Eunice
Walker and assumed a full-time position at Supreme
Liberty Life.
1942 (November) -- borrowed $500 against his mother's
furniture and started Johnson Publishing Company. Got
idea for Negro Digest, the forerunner of Ebony,
while selecting articles for Pace to keep abreast of
current events of interest to blacks.
1942 -- launched the Negro Digest,
which took a serious look at racial issues and
featured articles from prominent black and white writers. Office
of Johnson Publishing Co. on the second floor of Chicago's
Supreme Life Insurance Co. building in a room in the private law
office of Earl B. Dickerson.
1942 (June) -- circulated 50,000 of Negro
Digest, modeled on Reader's Digest but
aimed at African-Americans.
1943 (October) -- readership soared of Negro Digest to 100,000 when one of his regular contributor
columns, "If I was a Negro" was penned by First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt. With no competition cash was raked in.
1943 -- the publisher bought the company's first building to
house EBONY and its sister publication Negro Digest
at 5619 South State Street in Chicago.
1945 -- launched Ebony, a
breakthrough vehicle for national advertisers to target black
middle-class markets.
1949 -- opened first major building, a converted
funeral parlor at 1820 South Michigan Ave. Remained the company
headquarters for 23 years
1951 -- created Jet (1951, a pocket-sized
weekly publication that highlighted news of African-Americans in
the social limelight, political arena, entertainment, business,
and the sports world. With presently a readership of over
eight million.
1957 -- accompanied Vice President Richard M. Nixon on
a special goodwill tour to nine African countries
1959 -- accompanied Vice President Nixon to Russia and
Poland.
1961 -- appointed by President John F. Kennedy as
Special U.S. Ambassador to the Independence Ceremonies of the
Ivory Coast; and
1963 -- appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as
Special United States Ambassador to the Independence Ceremonies
of Kenya.
1965 -- received NAACP's coveted Spingarn Medal for the
highest and most achievements by an African American
1966 -- appointed by President Johnson to the National
Selective Service Commission.
1969 -- received the Horatio Alger Award and the USC
Journalism Alumni Association's Distinguished Achievement
Award
1970 -- appointed by President Nixon as a member of the
President's Commission for the Observance of the 25th
Anniversary of the United Nations.
1971 -- moved Johnson Publishing to its new 11-story
headquarters on Chicago's fashionable Michigan Avenue, becoming
the first black-owned business to be located in the Loop.
1982 -- names as the first black to the Forbes' list of the
400 wealthiest Americans.
1987 -- Black Journalists' Lifetime Achievement Award
1990 -- estimated personal wealth $150
million.
1993 -- received The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones
Entrepreneurial Excellence Award
1996 -- received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest honor the nation can bestow on a citizen, from President
Bill Clinton
2001 -- received the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Award
sponsored through the Sam M. Walton College of Business of the
University of Arkansas
2002 -- received the Vanguard Award and The Trumpet
Award
* * * *
*
* * * *
*
updated 3 January 2009
|
