Herbert C. Johnson*

Herbert Johnson, the son of Swedish immigrant parents, was born in Staten Island, New York. His first job came at age 12, pulling nails out of boards so that they could be reused. Other jobs included peddling eggs, selling buttermilk in two-quart cans for the local dairy, selling Eureka vacuum cleaners door to door, and serving as a temporary salesclerk at an A&P grocery store.

In 1927, Johnson began his career with Standard Oil Company. Under Standard's tuition reimbursement program, Johnson obtained a degree in business administration from New York University's night school. In 1943, Standard Oil formed Consolidated Natural Gas Company and assigned Johnson there. He rapidly moved from assistant treasurer to treasurer to vice president and ultimately to president and chairman. He retired in 1974 and became a director of Brooklyn Union Gas.