His father was Sylvester Johnson III,[1] and his mother was Frances Louisa Wood.

Johnson was educated in the public schools of Carbondale and at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania.

He later left Wood & Tittmer in 1864, to work in New York City for Roushton & Aspinwall.

Both men had an interest in Joseph Lister's discovery of the implications of sterile surgery.

In 1880, Johnson sold his shares to Seabury, and agreed to abstain from the medical business for ten years.

While the two brothers were proceeding alone, Seabury was unable to pay RWJ the monthly payments that had been agreed upon when Johnson departed the partnership.

Johnson agreed, and joined his brothers' firm, providing the capital for a fresh start.

The first marketing items Kilmer introduced were medical manuals; guides for how to react when injured aboard trains, such as when feet are crushed or when legs are broken.

In 1890, Kilmer received a letter from a colleague seeking advice on treating skin irritation on one of his patients.

On February 7, 1910, Johnson died of bright's disease in New Brunswick, New Jersey, at the age of 64.