He was prepared for College in Jennings Seminary at Aurora, Illinois, from which he entered Northwestern University at Evanston.

Passing later to Harvard he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1878, subsequently studying for a short time under Johannes Conrad at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.

After twelve years of a practical journalist's life he was called to the School of Finance and Economy in the University of Pennsylvania.

Although it is a wholly new branch of university work, considerable success has already been attained by Professor Johnson in training College men for practical careers in newspaper offices.

Johnson was editor at the Modern Business Series published by the Alexander Hamilton Institute, and of the Journal of Accountancy.