Johnson was a star athlete at McGill University[2] in Montreal, where he led the varsity track and field team to four consecutive championships in the 1920s.
He finished fourth in two events, including the 400-metre race that was won by Scotland's Eric Liddell.
The race was immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire and was recorded in contemporary newsreel:[3] Johnson's maple-leaf emblem standing out clearly on the inside lane.
David Johnson had a successful diplomatic career, being posted to: Ireland, Pakistan, New York, Vietnam and the USSR.
In Vietnam, Johnson was the Canadian Commissioner and Permanent Representative for the International Control Commission (ICC).