John B. Johnson, Jr., served as president of Milwaukee-Downer College from 1951-1964. A native of Chicago, he grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Johnson, a graduate of Williams College with a doctorate from the University of Chicago, was 38 years old at the time of his appointment, which was announced during the Milwaukee-Downer Centennial Commencement Weekend in June 1951. He had recently been named dean at Park College, Parkville, Missouri, where he had taught political science for five years.