Johnson, Farnham J., 1924-2001

Johnson (1924-2001) was born in Minnesota and grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin.

He graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1941 and attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 1945 with a degree in Geography. At the UW, Johnson played football and participated in the Enlisted Reserve Corps with the Marines. In 1942, he began officer training at the University of Michigan, eventually becoming a 1st lieutenant. Johnson served with the Fleet Marine Force Pacific Forward Echelon at Island Command in Guam from 1945 to 1946. From 1947 to 1948, Johnson played professional football with the NFL's Chicago Bears and the AAFC's Chicago Rockets. In 1950, he earned a Masters in International Management from the American Institute of Foreign Trade (Glendale, Arizona). Representing the B.F. Goodrich Company, Johnson traveled to Africa, Asia, and Europe; he sold rubber to the Chinese Air Force during the Chinese Civil War and to the French during the early stages of the Vietnam War. In 1988, Johnson retired from B.F. Goodrich to his home in Alabama.

From the description of Oral history interview with Farnham J. Johnson, [sound recording], 1996. (Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center). WorldCat record id: 613396853