Johnson, Robert Wood

Johnson, Robert Wood

(born , Feb. 15, 1845, Carbondale, Pa., U.S.—died Feb. 7, 1910, New Brunswick, N.J.) U.S. manufacturer. He began his career as a pharmacist and drug broker. In 1885 he founded medical supply company Johnson & Johnson with his brothers, and he served as its president until his death. An early proponent of the teachings of Joseph Lister, Johnson worked to make his products as germ-free as possible, and the firm's high-quality and inexpensive medical supplies, including antiseptic bandages and dressings, proved of great value to surgery. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a major philanthropic institution.

---

Johnson, Robert Wood (1845–1910) businessman, philanthropist; born in Carbondale, Pa. He worked as a druggist in New York and organized Seabury and Johnson (1874) and then Johnson and Johnson (with his brother James W. Johnson) in 1886. Inspired by the British surgeon, Joseph Lister, he pioneered advances in surgical dressings, medical supplies, and antiseptic practices. He made bequests to colleges of pharmacy and Episcopal churches, and the foundation established in his name is one of the wealthiest in America, with particular interest in financing medical research.