Robert Erwin Johnson (3 February 1923 – 28 January 2008, aged 84) was a University of Alabama professor of history and considered "one of the finest scholars of the nineteenth century U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard".
Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1941 and served until 1946 on USCGC Haida[2] After his wartime service at sea as a quartermaster, he attended the Oregon State Agricultural College from 1946 to 1948, then transferred to the University of Oregon, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and was elected Phi Beta Kappa in 1951.
On release from active duty, Johnson went on to complete his Master of Arts degree in 1953.
Immediately on completion of his doctoral work in 1956, the University of Alabama appointed him assistant professor in the faculty of history.
A member of the Democratic Party, he was also a member of the American Historical Association, Society for Nautical Research, World Ship Society, Naval Historical Foundation, and the United States Naval Institute.