Johnson, Douglas Wilson, 1878-1944

Douglas William Johnson (1878-1944) was an American professor of geography and geology at Columbia University.

Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia on November 30, 1878, Johnson received his B.S. from the University of New Mexico in 1901 and a PhD from Columbia University in 1903. In 1912 Johnson began his teaching career at Columbia, where he remained for more than thirty years as a professor of physiography. He served as an exchange professor of applied science to French universities in 1923-1924.

As well as being an outstanding educator, Johnson was internationally recognized as an authority in his field. He was chief of the Division of Boundary Geography on the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in 1918 and 1919, served as advisor to President Woodrow Wilson on the question of Italian boundary problems, and was consulting physiographer to the Canadian Government in the Labrador Boundary Dispute in 1926.

Johnson was the author of many books and articles, and received numerous awards, commendations and honorary degrees during his lifetime. He died at the age of 65 in Sebring, Florida on February 24, 1944.

From the guide to the Douglas W. Johnson Papers, 1897-1943, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)