Woody Johnson | |
---|---|
66th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
In office November 8, 2017 –January 20, 2021 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Matthew Barzun |
Succeeded by | Jane D. Hartley |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Wood Johnson IV April 12,1947 New Brunswick,New Jersey,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouses | Nancy Sale (m. 1977;div. 2001)Suzanne Ircha (m. 2009) |
Children | 5 |
Parent(s) | Bobby Johnson Betty Wold |
Relatives | Christopher Johnson (brother) |
Education | University of Arizona (BA) |
Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who is co-owner of the New York Jets and was formerly the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, and an heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.
In 2000 he purchased the New York Jets football team for $635 million, the highest price for a New York professional sports team at that time, and is currently the Jets co-owner alongside his brother, Christopher Johnson. During his tenure as owner, Johnson was also part of the NFL search committee for a new commissioner.
A longtime Republican Party donor, Johnson was a supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and was appointed by Trump to the post of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Events during his tenure included Britain's exit from the EU and the relocation of the United States embassy in London. His brother Christopher took over Jets operations during his post.
Upon his return in 2021, Johnson resumed his role as chairman. In 2023, he pursued Aaron Rodgers, with the Jets finalizing a trade with the Green Bay Packers in April. In 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid for Chelsea F.C. but withdrew from the bidding process later that month.
Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Betty Johnson (née Wold; 1921–2020) [1] and Robert Wood Johnson III, and the great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, who founded the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company, [2] [3] along with his brothers James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson. [4] Robert Wood Johnson IV grew up with four siblings: Keith Johnson, Billy Johnson, Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, and Christopher Wold Johnson, in northern New Jersey, and attended the Millbrook School. He graduated from the University of Arizona. [5] [6] He worked for J&J for a single summer. [7]
Johnson was the chairman and chief executive of The Johnson Company, Inc., a private investment firm. [8]
In 2006, a Senate subcommittee produced a 370-page report that said that some prominent figures, including Johnson, purchased capital gain losses as a way to reduce their own income tax bills. Johnson settled with the IRS in 2006, agreeing to pay the owed taxes plus interest. [9]
Johnson was the committee president of the Pre-Commissioning Unit for the San Antonio-class ship USS New York (LPD-21). [10]
In January 2000, Woody Johnson purchased the New York Jets for $635 million, making it the third-highest price ever paid for a professional sports team at the time, and the highest for a New York professional sports team. [11] As of September 2019, Forbes valued the team at $3.2 billion. [12]
Following his acquisition of the Jets, Johnson moved the team to the newly constructed Meadowlands Stadium, sharing it as an equal partner with the New York Giants. The stadium, later named MetLife Stadium, officially opened on April 10, 2010. [13]
In 2017, upon being appointed the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Johnson's brother, Christopher Johnson, assumed the roles of CEO and acting owner of the Jets. [14] Woody Johnson resumed his position as chairman in 2021 after returning to the United States, with Christopher Johnson becoming vice-chairman. [15] [16]
In January 2023, Johnson expressed the need for a strong quarterback to complement the Jets' robust defense, describing it as the "missing piece" in the team's lineup. [17] Subsequently, Johnson pursued four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, stating to ESPN the importance of securing the best possible quarterback to lead the team. [18] [19] The Jets also hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, given his strong rapport with Rodgers. [20] On April 24, 2023, it was reported that the Jets were finalizing a trade deal with the Green Bay Packers for Rodgers. [21]
In March 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid to purchase London football club Chelsea F.C. from sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich. [22] [23] Johnson, who became a fan of the team during his ambassadorship in London, was considered to have an advantage over other bidders like Saudi Media Group due to his familiarity with London and experience in sports management. [24] [25] However, by March 25, it was reported that Johnson was no longer in contention to buy Chelsea F.C. [26]
Johnson also helped the league select a successor to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. [27] [28]
Johnson is a billionaire. [29] [7] As a fourth-generation descendant of one of the founders of the Johnson & Johnson company, he is one of the heirs of the Johnson family fortune. [7] [a] In a 2017 financial disclosure form, Johnson listed his net worth at $4.2 billion, with most of his wealth tied to his ownership of the Jets and its stadium; he also reported owning at least 1.56 million J&J shares (a stake then valued at more than $50 million). [30] As of April 2024, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index placed his net worth at an estimated $9.92 billion. [7]
By the year 2000, Johnson had given more than $1 million to various Republican candidates and committees. Between 1997 and 1998, he donated $130,000 to the Republican Party, along with donating $22,583 to George W. Bush's 1998 gubernatorial re-election campaign of Texas. He was later a major New York fundraiser for Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. [31]
In May 2008, he orchestrated a fundraiser in New York City that brought in $7 million in a single evening for John McCain's presidential campaign, by far the largest amount collected up to that point by a campaign that had been struggling to raise money. Johnson also provided significant funding to 2008 Republican National Convention host committee; from a $10 million shortfall, Johnson contributed personally and solicited friends to assist in covering the convention deficit. [32] In 2011, Johnson endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries. [33] In September 2013, Johnson hosted a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee (RNC) at his home in New York City. [34]
By 2016, Johnson had known Donald Trump for about 30 years, with the two men having social connections. [35] Nevertheless, in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Johnson initially endorsed Jeb Bush over Trump. [35] In June 2015, Johnson was named the national finance chairman for Bush's campaign. [36] On several occasions, Trump singled out Johnson in a speech attacking Bush for accepting "special interest" money from donors. [35] [37] In May 2016, after Trump became the presumptive nominee, Johnson endorsed Trump for president. [38] [35] [2] He met with Trump at Trump Tower and was named one of the RNC's six finance vice chairmen, responsible for an effort to raise $1 billion on behalf of Trump's campaign. [35] [37]
Johnson had by August 2019 donated $1.5 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaigns and inaugural committee. [39] In February 2020, Johnson gave $575,000 to a fundraising committee for Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, and $355,000 to the RNC. [40] In May 2020, he gave $1 million to America First Action, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC. [40]
On January 8, 2021, Johnson released a statement condemning the 2021 United States Capitol attack. [41]
In 2023, Johnson gave at least $1 million to a super PAC backing Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. [42] [43] He stood behind Trump at an election-night rally during the 2024 South Carolina primary. [44]
On January 19, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he planned to nominate Johnson to become United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. [45] [46] On June 22, 2017, Trump nominated Johnson for the position. [47] [48] [49] Prior to becoming ambassador, he had no diplomatic experience. [2]
Following a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, [50] Johnson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2017, [51] by voice vote. [48] He was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on August 21, 2017, in the Oval Office. Johnson presented his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II on November 8, 2017. [52] [53]
In 2018, Johnson oversaw the relocation of the United States Embassy in London from Grosvenor Square, where it had been since 1938, to a new location in Nine Elms. [54]
During Johnson's tenure, Britain withdrew from the EU. Johnson advocated for a bilateral US-UK trade deal post-Brexit, in line with President Trump's hopes during that time. [55] Johnson had a private dinner with Queen Elizabeth II at Winfield House on March 14, 2019, just two days after British Parliament rejected Theresa May's Brexit plan. [56]
In June 2019, he further stated that a post-Brexit deal between the US and the UK would cover "all things that are traded", including the National Health Service and agricultural sector. [57] In January 2020, Johnson stated that the US was never interested in the NHS, but reiterated American interest in a free-trade deal with the UK. [58]
Johnson advocated for closer agricultural trade between the US and UK, and the deregulation of US food exports to Britain. [59] In March 2019, Johnson wrote an article in the Daily Telegraph saying that chlorinated chicken was a "public safety no-brainer" and that health fears over hormone-fed beef were "myths". [60] This came after he urged the UK to open up to the US agriculture market after the British exit from the European Union and ignore the "smear campaign" of those with "their own protectionist agenda". [61] Johnson was criticized by several British agriculture standard boards, such as the Red Tractor Assurance whose CEO, Jim Moseley stated the UK's food standards were "now under threat from ... the United States food lobby". [62] [61] Minette Batters, president of the UK National Farmers Union, agreed with Johnson's claims that chlorine-rinsed chicken was safe for consumption, but stated that factors such as animal welfare and environmental protection also had to be considered. [63] Batters commented that accepting US agricultural products produced in ways that would be illegal in the UK would "put British producers out of business". The US National Farmers Union maintained that US methods of meat production were "safe", describing criticism as "fear-mongering". [60]
Johnson advised the UK government to ban Huawei from being used in the nation's 5G networks after departing Prime Minister Theresa May approved the company in early 2019. [64] Johnson said that Huawei could represent an economic and security risk, comparing it to "letting a kleptomaniac move into your house." [65] In 2020, after Britain decided to ban Huawei from its 5G mobile networks, Johnson welcomed the decision as a victory for human rights and fair trading practices. [66]
In July 2020, the State Department investigated allegations made by some current and former staff members that accused Johnson of making inappropriate comments about issues concerning race, personal appearance, and Black History Month. [67] [68] [69]
Johnson denied the allegations, asserting that the claims were inconsistent with his values and record. The State Department and the U.S. Embassy in London stood by Johnson, highlighting his professional conduct and dedication to U.S.-UK relations. While an Inspector General report on the matter was pending, Johnson maintained that he had always followed ethical guidelines and that the accusations did not reflect his long-standing principles. [70]
After the investigation, the inspector general issued a report in August 2020 that said that Johnson "sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color" that could "create an offensive working environment" and violate EEO (antidiscrimination) laws. [71]
The inspector general's office recommended that the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Office of Civil Rights (S/OCR) coordinate an investigation into Johnson's conduct. S/OCR did so, and found that allegations against Johnson were unsubstantiated. [72]
In February 2018, Johnson as ambassador sought to have the lucrative British Open golf tournament moved to Trump's Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland, raising the idea with Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell. [2] The New York Times reported, and the former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in London Lewis Lukens later confirmed, that Trump had asked Johnson to seek British government influence in obtaining the Open for Turnberry. [2] [73] At the time Lukens warned Johnson not to raise the question with the UK government, saying that an attempt to further the president's personal financial interests in this way would be unethical and probably illegal. Johnson did so anyway, unsuccessfully. [2] [73]
In a statement, the British government said that Johnson "made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event"; the statement did not say whether Johnson had raised the subject of Turnberry. [2] Johnson did not deny the episode, saying only that he complied with "the ethical rules and requirements of my office"; Trump denied that he had ever spoken to Johnson "about Turnberry." [74] Lukens documented his concerns to State Department officials. Johnson forced out Lukens several months later, before the scheduled end of his tenure in London. [2] The report that Johnson used his position as ambassador to promote the president's personal business interests sparked an inquiry by the State Department inspector general's office. [40] In an interview in August 2020, Lukens said that the inspector general's report had halted without a public report being issued, which he considered unusual. [73]
In 1977, Johnson married former fashion model Nancy Sale Johnson. They had three children before divorcing in 2001. In early 2010, daughter Casey Johnson died of diabetic ketoacidosis. [75] He started a research foundation, the Alliance for Lupus Research, after his daughter Jaime was found to have lupus. [76]
In 2009, Johnson married Suzanne Ircha, a former actress and equities managing director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners. [77] [78] They have two children. [79] Suzanne's father emigrated from Ternopil, Ukraine after World War II, and her mother was a first-generation Ukrainian American. [80] She grew up in a Ukrainian neighborhood in Greenwich Village. [81]
Johnson has homes in Bedminster Township, New Jersey, [82] and Palm Beach island in Florida, residing in the latter since 2020. [83] He formerly had an apartment in Manhattan, [82] but sold the unit (a two-floor duplex at 834 Fifth Avenue) in 2014 to billionaire Leonard Blavatnik for $80 million, setting a record for the costliest co-op ever sold in New York. [84]
Johnson is known for philanthropy, especially donations to medical research. He raised money and lobbied to increase federal funding for lupus and diabetes. [85] Johnson is also a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust. [31] He is the only member of the Johnson family to be invited to join the board of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [86]
Johnson was the chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International. He and his wife became involved with diabetes charities after his daughter Casey was diagnosed with diabetes in 1988. [31] In 1994, he co-wrote the book Managing Your Child's Diabetes with his wife Nancy, and Casey. [87] As of 2000, he had donated $12 million to the foundation. Johnson was a chairman on the Council on Foreign Relations, and successfully lobbied Congress to approve a five-year, $750 million package for funding diabetes research in 2002. [88]
Casey died of diabetic ketoacidosis on January 4, 2010. [89] On October 24, 2012, Johnson wrote an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal titled "The Folly of Defunding Diabetes Research", which urged Congress to approve long-term funding for the Special Diabetes Program. [90] He visited the University of Birmingham in 2018 to discuss the university's diabetes research and research library. [91]
Johnson is the founding chairman of the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR). [92] He founded the legacy organization, Alliance for Lupus Research, in 1999 after his daughter Jaime [93] was diagnosed with lupus, and he realized that there was a lack of research in that area. [94]
During the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Johnson and his wife Suzanne, who comes from a Ukrainian background, have organized aid efforts for Ukraine. [95] Their family visited Poland, which is the primary destination for Ukrainian refugees displaced by the crisis. [96] While in Poland, they made visits to community centers, shelters, and orphanages housing Ukrainian refugees. [97] In an article for The Telegraph, Johnson urged the United States and the United Kingdom to aid Ukraine. [96]
In April 2022, the Jets pledged a $1 million donation to Ukraine, to be distributed to various organizations, including Plast Scouting USA and United24. [98] [99] [97]
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Jets play their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of New York City. The team is headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey. The franchise is legally organized as a limited liability company under the name New York Jets, LLC.
The Special Relationship is a term that is often used to describe the political, social, diplomatic, cultural, economic, legal, environmental, religious, military and historic relations between the United Kingdom and the United States or its political leaders. The term first came into popular usage after it was used in a 1946 speech by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Both nations have been close allies during many conflicts in the 20th and the 21st centuries, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and the war on terror.
Daniel Marc Snyder is an American businessman and former owner of the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He bought the team, then known as the Redskins, from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke in 1999. Snyder is widely considered one of the worst owners in the history of professional sports, with the team managing only six playoff appearances and two playoff wins during his 24 years of ownership.
Trump Turnberry is a golf resort in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, located on the Firth of Clyde in southwest Scotland. It comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star James Miller-designed hotel from 1906, along with lodge and cottage accommodations. Turnberry was a popular golf course and resort from its inception, made accessible because of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway. It closed in both World Wars for military use, and there was concern it would not open following World War II, but it was redesigned by Mackenzie Ross and re-opened in 1951.
Robert Wood Johnson III was an American businessman. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I.
Stephen Michael Ross is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and sports team owner. Ross is the chairman of Related Companies, a global real estate development firm he founded in 1972. Related is best known for developing the Deutsche Bank Center, as well as the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project. Ross has a net worth of $10.1 billion in 2020, ranking him 185 on Forbes Billionaires List in 2020. He is still featured on the list as of 2023. Ross is also the principal owner of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.
Sir Leonard Valentinovich Blavatnik is a Soviet/Ukrainian-born British-American businessman and philanthropist. In 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth at $32.1 billion, ranking him the 52nd-richest person in the world. In 2017, Blavatnik received a knighthood for services to philanthropy.
The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is an American voluntary health organization based in New York City whose mission is to find better treatments and ultimately prevent and cure systemic lupus erythematosus, a debilitating autoimmune disease, through supporting medical research. The organization was born from the merger of three organizations: the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) and the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation with the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR), which was founded by Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, a member of the Johnson & Johnson family and owner of the New York Jets. As of 2020 the LRA's cumulative research commitment was $220,000,000.
The United States officially recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 25, 1991. The United States upgraded its consulate in the capital, Kyiv, to embassy status on January 21, 1992. In 2002, relations between the United States and Ukraine deteriorated after one of the recordings made during the Cassette Scandal revealed an alleged transfer of a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Paul John Manafort Jr. is an American former lobbyist, political consultant, attorney, and convicted felon. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. Manafort served as an adviser to the U.S. presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bob Dole. In 1980, he co-founded the Washington, D.C.–based lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone, along with principals Charles R. Black Jr. and Roger Stone, joined by Peter G. Kelly in 1984. Manafort often lobbied on behalf of foreign leaders such as former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, former dictator of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, former dictator of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko, and Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi. Lobbying to serve the interests of foreign governments requires registration with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA); on June 27, 2017, he retroactively registered as a foreign agent.
Robert Hunter Biden is an American attorney and businessman. He is the second son of U.S. president Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. Biden was a founding board member of BHR Partners, a Chinese investment company, in 2013, and later served on the board of Burisma Holdings, one of the largest private natural gas producers in Ukraine, from 2014 until his term expired in April 2019. He has worked as a lobbyist and legal representative for lobbying firms, a hedge fund principal, and a venture capital and private equity fund investor.
Ronald Harold Johnson is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold. He was reelected in 2016, defeating Feingold in a rematch, and in 2022, narrowly defeating Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
Gordon David Sondland is an American businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Provenance Hotels. Sondland is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 2018 to 2020. In November 2019, he testified as a witness at the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. After refusing to resign, Sondland was fired by Trump on February 7, 2020, two days after the conclusion of Trump's impeachment trial.
Lewis Alan Lukens is a retired American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. His final assignment was as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in London.
Christopher Wold Johnson is an American businessman and sports executive who is the owner and vice chairman of the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, and the brother of Woody Johnson who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is the co-owner of the Jets along with his brother Woody and served as the chairman and CEO from 2017 to 2021.
Steven Alan Linick is an American attorney and State Department official who served as Inspector General of the Department of State and led the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State. In 2013, he was nominated by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by the United States Senate. Linick was removed from office by Donald Trump on May 15, 2020, effective in 30 days per federal law, with Stephen Akard appointed acting inspector general in the interim.
Boris Johnson has declared his position on many political issues through his public comments. Johnson's political positions have changed throughout his political career. His policies, views and voting record have been the subject of commentary during Johnson's tenure in various positions, including as Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022.
Lev Parnas is a Soviet-born American businessman and former associate of Rudy Giuliani. Parnas, Giuliani, Igor Fruman, John Solomon, Yuriy Lutsenko, Dmytro Firtash and his allies, Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova, were involved in creating the false Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, which is part of the Trump–Ukraine scandal's efforts to damage Joe Biden. As president, Donald Trump said he did not know Parnas nor what he was involved in; Parnas insisted Trump "knew exactly what was going on".
During his career as a businessman and politician, Donald Trump has had a noted relationship with the sport of American football, both at the professional and collegiate levels. Since the 1980s, he has had a strained relationship with the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. A 2018 article in Business Insider labeled Trump's relationship with the league "The Pigskin War", calling the NFL "his oldest rival". That same year, sportswriter Adam Schefter of ESPN stated that Trump has "his own little vendetta against the NFL", while Ed Malyon, the sports editor of The Independent, stated in 2019 that, "Trump has long waged war against the NFL".
Robert Wood Johnson IV, whose great-grandfather founded Johnson & Johnson, won the right yesterday to buy the Jets for $635 million, the third-highest price for a professional sports team and the most for one in New York.
He grew up in affluent areas of New Jersey, attended the elite Millbrook School in the Hudson Valley and worked menial summer jobs at Johnson & Johnson with the expectation of ascending to the top of the family business.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Johnson, who is 52 years old, has homes in Manhattan and Bedminster, N.J.
Media related to Woody Johnson at Wikimedia Commons