Johnson, Robert Wood

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.