Johnson, Walter Samuel, 1884-1978.

Walter S. Johnson (1884-1978) was a businessman and philanthropist in San Francisco, California. He was one of the founders of the American Forest Products Corporation, and of Friden, Inc., the Friden Calculating Machine Company, which developed and sold electro-mechanical numerators and office equipment. In 1959, Johnson donated $2 million for the preservation of the Palace of Fine Arts, and continued to support the Palace financially for the rest of his life. In tribute, the city named the surrounding grounds the Walter S. Johnson Park.