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John Seward Johnson I (July 14, 1895 – May 23, 1983) was one of the sons of
Robert Wood Johnson I Robert Wood Johnson I (February 20, 1845 – February 7, 1910) was an American industrialist. He was also one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson. Early life Johnson was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. His father was Sylvest ...
(co-founder of
Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
). He was also known as J. Seward Johnson Sr. and Seward Johnson. He was a longtime executive and director of Johnson & Johnson. He founded the
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI, FAU Harbor Branch) is a non-profit oceanographic institution operated by Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Founded in 1971 as non-profit research organization, the i ...
(HBOI), and was the grandfather of Jamie Johnson, who directed the documentary '' Born Rich''.


Early life

He was born on July 14, 1895 in
New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Robert Wood Johnson I Robert Wood Johnson I (February 20, 1845 – February 7, 1910) was an American industrialist. He was also one of the three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson. Early life Johnson was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. His father was Sylvest ...
and Evangeline Brewster Armstrong. He had three siblings: Roberta Johnson,
Robert Wood Johnson II Robert Wood "General" Johnson II (April 4, 1893 – January 30, 1968) was an American businessman. He was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson. He turned the family business into one of the world's l ...
, and Evangeline Johnson.


Personal life

Johnson's first marriage was to Ruth Dill, the sister of actress Diana Dill. They had four children:
Mary Lea Johnson Richards Mary Lea Johnson Richards (August 20, 1926 – May 3, 1990) was an American heiress, entrepreneur, and Broadway producer. She was a granddaughter of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), and of Bermudan politician, soldier, an ...
, Elaine Johnson,
John Seward Johnson II John Seward Johnson II (April 16, 1930 – March 10, 2020), also known as J. Seward Johnson Jr. and Seward Johnson, was an American artist known for ''trompe-l'œil'' painted bronze statues. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-fou ...
, and Diana Melville Johnson Firestone.People Archives
/ref> It was alleged that Johnson would later sexually abuse his eldest daughter from age nine to fifteen."The Battle of Bendel's: Crazier Than You and Me", ''New York Magazine'', p. 129
(accessed October 9, 2010): "For six years, he committed incest with Mary Lea...." "Mary Lea Johnson was a victim of incest..." "She did anything that men wanted," Richards says, sadly, "because of the abuse with her father." In 1939, Johnson married Esther Underwood. They had two children: Jennifer Underwood Johnson and James Loring Johnson. During his thirty-two year marriage, he engaged in extramarital affairs with his chambermaid Barbara Piasecka. In 1971, they married with none of Johnson's children in attendance. Piasecka Johnson "often physically and emotionally abused her husband", trial adversaries said. He signed his final will on April 14, 1983, leaving the bulk of his fortune to her. In that year, Johnson died of cancer at the age of 87. In accordance with the terms of the will, she received $402,824,971.59. The exclusion of the rest of his family from the will led to at least three highly publicized legal battles. In the Johnson v. Johnson court case, his six children from his first two marriages sued on grounds that he wasn't mentally competent at the time he signed the will. It was settled out of court, and the children were granted about 12% of the fortune. The second legal dispute was regarding the eligibility of
Mary Lea Johnson Richards Mary Lea Johnson Richards (August 20, 1926 – May 3, 1990) was an American heiress, entrepreneur, and Broadway producer. She was a granddaughter of Robert Wood Johnson I (co-founder of Johnson & Johnson), and of Bermudan politician, soldier, an ...
' husband's share of the fortune, which lasted twelve years. The court ruled in favor of her husband. The third battle was regarding the eligibility of
John Seward Johnson II John Seward Johnson II (April 16, 1930 – March 10, 2020), also known as J. Seward Johnson Jr. and Seward Johnson, was an American artist known for ''trompe-l'œil'' painted bronze statues. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-fou ...
's daughter's share of the fortune. The court ruled in favor of his daughter.The Silver Trust, ''Family Money: Using Wills, Trusts, Life Insurance and Other Financial Planning Tools to Leave the Things You Own to People You Love''
Silver Lake Publishing, 2001, pp. 14-17.


See also

* ''Johnson v. Johnson'' (1988, ) * ''Undue Influence: The Epic Battle for the Johnson & Johnson Fortune'' (1993, )


References


External links


Harbor Branch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, John Seward I 20th-century American businesspeople American art collectors John Seward I 1890s births 1983 deaths Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in Florida People from New Brunswick, New Jersey Businesspeople from New Jersey