Samuel Curtis Johnson, Jr.
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| Samuel Curtis Johnson, Jr. | |
| Born | March 2, 1928 |
|---|---|
| Died | May 22, 2004 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Manufacturer |
| Spouse | Imogene Powers Johnson |
| Children | Herbert Fisk Johnson III, Helen Johnson-Leipold, S. Curtis Johnson, Winnie Johnson-Marquart |
| Parents | Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr., |
Samuel Curtis Johnson, Jr. (March 2, 1928 – May 22, 2004) was the fourth generation of his family to lead S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc of Racine, WI. He is the son of Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr. and the great grandson of company founder, Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr. He was described as the Richest man in Wisconsin in Forbes World's Richest People issues.
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[edit] Early years and education
A graduate of Asheville School, Sam attended Cornell University and was selected for membership in the Sphinx Head Society. He then attended the Harvard Business School. Johnson also served in the U.S. Air Force for 2 years.
[edit] Family
His wife, Imogene Johnson, cofounded The Prairie School private school in 1965 with Willie Hilpert. The children of many SC Johnson executives and employees continue to attend this school today. Johnson had four children: Curt, Helen, Fisk and Winnie.
[edit] SC Johnson & Son
In 1967, he became chairman of the company and turned a $171 million floor wax company into a privately held multi-billion dollar empire of four global companies which now employ over 28,000 people. During his tenure, the company introduced brands such as Pledge, OFF! and Raid.
Samuel was described by Fortune magazine as "corporate America’s leading environmentalist."
[edit] Philanthropy
He was a noted philanthropist. Johnson served as a Trustee and Presidential Councillor at Cornell. In 1984, Johnson and his family made a $20 million endowment gift to the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management that was, at the time, the largest gift to any business school in the world. Later gifts to Cornell supported the teaching of corporate environmental responsibility at the school and the creation of a new facility for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Those choices reflected Johnson's deep interest in the environment.
[edit] Film
His father's 1935 two month, 7,500 mile journey to northeastern Brazil as well as Samuel's somewhat difficult relationship with his father, Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr., was documented in his 2001 film Carnuba: A Son's Memoir. The original journey was made in a Sikorsky S-38 amphibious plane and was to scout for stands of Carnauba palm, the source of carnauba wax; the film includes footage from a repeat of that journey that the Johnson family undertook in 1998. The film also recounts some of Samuel's struggle with alcoholism.
[edit] Forbes Richest People Ranking
- # 51 on World's Richest People 2004
- # 36 on World's Richest People 2003
- # 70 on World's Richest People 2002
- # 82 on World's Richest People 2001
- # 165 on Forbes 400 2004
- # 25 on Forbes 400 2003
- # 24 on Forbes 400 2002
- # 40 on Forbes 400 2001
- # 53 on Forbes 400 2000
- # 40 on Forbes 400 1999
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People
- Biography of Samuel C. Johnson provided by JohnsonDiversey
- Samuel C. Johnson at Find-A-Grave
- Summary of Carnuba: A Son's Memoir
- Membership of Chi Psi
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