Woody Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| 66thUnited 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 (1947-04-12)April 12, 1947 (age 78) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| 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 the owner and chairman of the NFL'sNew York Jets and was formerly theUnited States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is a great-grandson ofRobert Wood Johnson I and an heir to theJohnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. In 2000, he purchased the Jets for $635 million alongside his brother,Christopher Johnson.
A long-timeRepublican Party donor, Johnson was a supporter ofDonald Trump's presidential campaign in2016 and was subsequently appointed as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Events during his tenure includedBritain's exit from the EU and therelocation of the United States embassy in London. His brother Christopher took over Jets operations during his tenure.
Upon his return to the New York in 2021, Johnson resumed his role as chairman of the Jets. In 2023, he pursuedAaron Rodgers, with the Jets finalizing a trade with theGreen Bay Packers in April. In 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid forChelsea but withdrew from the bidding process later that month. In July of 2025, Johnson completed the purchase of a 43% stake inCrystal Palace from Eagle Football Holdings, becoming a partner and director of the club.[1]
Johnson was born inNew Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Betty Johnson (née Wold; 1921–2020)[2] andRobert Wood Johnson III, and the great-grandson ofRobert Wood Johnson I, who founded theJohnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company,[3][4] along with his brothersJames Wood Johnson andEdward Mead Johnson.[5] Robert Wood Johnson IV grew up with four siblings: Keith Johnson, Billy Johnson, Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, andChristopher Wold Johnson, innorthern New Jersey, and attended theMillbrook School. He graduated from theUniversity of Arizona.[6][7] He worked for J&J for a single summer.[8]
Johnson was the chairman and chief executive of The Johnson Company, Inc., a private investment firm.[9]
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.[10]
Johnson was the committee president of thePre-Commissioning Unit for theSan Antonio-class shipUSS New York (LPD-21).[11]
In January 2000, Woody Johnson purchased theNew York Jets from the estate ofLeon Hess for $635 million. At the time, it the third-highest price ever paid for a professional sports team, and the highest for a New York professional sports team.[12] As of December of 2024,Forbes estimated the value of the team at $6.9 billion.[13]
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 namedMetLife Stadium, officially opened on April 10, 2010.[14]
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.[15] Woody Johnson resumed his position as chairman in 2021 after returning to the United States, with Christopher Johnson becoming vice-chairman.[16][17]
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.[18] Subsequently, Johnson pursued four-time MVPAaron Rodgers, stating to ESPN the importance of securing the best possible quarterback to lead the team.[19][20] The Jets also hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, given his strong rapport with Rodgers.[21] On April 24, 2023, it was reported that the Jets were finalizing a trade deal with the Green Bay Packers for Rodgers.[22] Johnson has been widely criticized for his handling of the Jets.[23][24] As of 2025, the team has had thelongest active playoff drought in the NFL,[25] withone season above .500.[26]
Johnson firedRobert Saleh during the2024 season; Saleh finished 20-36 and without a winning season.[27] In January 2025, Johnson hiredAaron Glenn as the team's new head coach andDarren Mougey as the new general manager.[28][29][30] In his statement on the hiring, Johnson expressed his desire to play a less active role in the team's day-to-day management, stating "I want Aaron Glenn to coach the team and I want the general manager to manage the assets and players and I'll take an owner's position."[31]
Under Johnson, the New York Jets Foundation has funded charitable programs related to youth sports,military veterans, education and medical research.[32] The Jets have held walk-a-thons, benefit luncheons, and other events related to theLupus Research Alliance, which Johnson founded.[33][34] In 2001, the team partnered with thePublic Schools Athletic League.[35] The Jets have also sponsored hundreds of girls'flag football programs, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.[36][37][38] In 2015, Johnson received the Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Award for NFL owners who engage in philanthropy.[39]
Johnson also helped the league select a successor to NFL CommissionerPaul Tagliabue.[40][41]
In March 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid to purchase London football clubChelsea from sanctioned billionaireRoman Abramovich.[42][43] 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.[44][45] However, by March 25, it was reported that Johnson was no longer in contention to buy Chelsea.[46]
He agreed to buy a 45% share fromJohn Textor in another London club,Crystal Palace, in June 2025, which would make him the largest shareholder in the club.[47] The deal was completed on July 24 2025, but was reported as a 43% stake purchase.[48]
Johnson is a billionaire.[49][8] As a fourth-generation descendant of one of the founders of theJohnson & Johnson company, he is one of the heirs of the Johnson family fortune.[8][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).[50] As of April 2024, theBloomberg Billionaires Index placed his net worth at an estimated $9.92 billion.[8]
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 toGeorge W. Bush's1998 gubernatorial re-election campaign of Texas. He was later a major New York fundraiser for Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.[51]
In May 2008, he orchestrated a fundraiser in New York City that brought in $7 million in a single evening forJohn McCain'spresidential 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 to2008 Republican National Convention host committee; from a $10 million shortfall, Johnson contributed personally and solicited friends to assist in covering the convention deficit.[52] In 2011, Johnson endorsed former Massachusetts GovernorMitt Romney in the2012 Republican presidential primaries.[53] In September 2013, Johnson hosted a fundraiser for theRepublican National Committee (RNC) at his home in New York City.[54]
By 2016, Johnson had knownDonald Trump for about 30 years, with the two men having social connections.[55] Nevertheless, in the2016 Republican presidential primaries, Johnson initially endorsedJeb Bush over Trump.[55] In June 2015, Johnson was named the national finance chairman for Bush's campaign.[56] On several occasions, Trump singled out Johnson in a speech attacking Bush for accepting "special interest" money from donors.[55][57] In May 2016, after Trump became thepresumptive nominee, Johnson endorsed Trump for president.[58][55][3] He met with Trump atTrump 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.[55][57]
Johnson had by August 2019 donated $1.5 million toDonald Trump's presidential campaigns and inaugural committee.[59] In February 2020, Johnson gave $575,000 to a fundraising committee forTrump's 2020 re-election campaign, and $355,000 to the RNC.[60] In May 2020, he gave $1 million toAmerica First Action, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC.[60]
On January 8, 2021, Johnson released a statement condemning the2021 United States Capitol attack.[61]
In 2023, Johnson gave at least $1 million to asuper PAC backingTrump's 2024 presidential campaign.[62][63] He stood behind Trump at an election-night rally during the2024 South Carolina primary.[64]
In 2025, the family's Betty Wold Johnson Foundation was one of the donors who funded the White House'sEast Wing demolition, and planned building of a ballroom.[65]
On January 19, 2017, President-electDonald Trump announced that he planned to nominate Johnson to becomeUnited States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.[66][67] On June 22, 2017, Trump nominated Johnson for the position.[68][69][70] Prior to becoming ambassador, he had no diplomatic experience.[3]
Following a hearing in theSenate Judiciary Committee,[71] Johnson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2017,[72] byvoice vote.[69] He was sworn in byVice PresidentMike Pence on August 21, 2017, in theOval Office. Johnson presented hiscredentials to QueenElizabeth II on November 8, 2017.[73][74]
In 2018, Johnson oversaw the relocation of theUnited States Embassy in London fromGrosvenor Square, where it had been since 1938, to a new location inNine Elms.[75]
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.[76] 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.[77]
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 theNational Health Service and agricultural sector.[78] 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.[79]
Johnson advocated for closer agricultural trade between the US and UK, and the deregulation of US food exports to Britain.[80] In March 2019, Johnson wrote an article in theDaily Telegraph saying thatchlorinated chicken was a "public safety no-brainer" and that health fears overhormone-fed beef were "myths".[81] This came after he urged the UK to open up to the US agriculture market afterthe British exit from the European Union and ignore the "smear campaign" of those with "their own protectionist agenda".[82] Johnson was criticized by several British agriculture standard boards, such as theRed Tractor Assurance whose CEO, Jim Moseley stated the UK's food standards were "now under threat from ... the United States food lobby".[83][82] Minette Batters, president of theUK 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.[84] Batters commented that accepting US agricultural products produced in ways that would be illegal in the UK would "put British producers out of business". TheUS National Farmers Union maintained that US methods of meat production were "safe", describing criticism as "fear-mongering".[81]
Johnson advised the UK government to banHuawei from being used in the nation's5G networks after departing Prime MinisterTheresa May approved the company in early 2019.[85] Johnson said that Huawei could represent an economic and security risk, comparing it to "letting a kleptomaniac move into your house."[86] 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.[87]
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.[88][89][90]
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.[91]
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 consideredEqual Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color" that could "create an offensive working environment" and violate EEO (antidiscrimination) laws.[92]
The inspector general's office recommended that the State Department'sBureau 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.[93]
In February 2018, Johnson as ambassador sought to have the lucrativeBritish Open golf tournament moved to Trump'sTurnberry Golf Resort inScotland, raising the idea withSecretary of State for ScotlandDavid Mundell.[3] TheNew York Times reported, and the formerdeputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in LondonLewis Lukens later confirmed, that Trump had asked Johnson to seek British government influence in obtaining the Open for Turnberry.[3][94] 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.[3][94]
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.[3] 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."[95] Lukens documented his concerns to State Department officials. Johnson forced out Lukens several months later, before the scheduled end of his tenure in London.[3] 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.[60] 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.[94]
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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 ofdiabetic ketoacidosis.[96] He started a research foundation, theAlliance for Lupus Research, after his daughter Jaime was found to have lupus.[97]
In 2009, Johnson married Suzanne Ircha, a former actress and equities managing director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners.[98][99] They have two children.[100] Suzanne's father emigrated fromTernopil, Ukraine afterWorld War II, and her mother was afirst-generationUkrainian American.[101] She grew up in aUkrainian neighborhood in Greenwich Village.[102]
Johnson has homes inBedminster Township, New Jersey,[103] andPalm Beach island in Florida, residing in the latter since 2020.[104] He formerly had an apartment inManhattan,[103] but sold the unit (a two-floor duplex at834 Fifth Avenue) in 2014 to billionaireLeonard Blavatnik for $80 million, setting a record for the costliestco-op ever sold in New York.[105]
Johnson is known for philanthropy, especially donations to medical research. He raised money and lobbied to increase federal funding for lupus and diabetes.[106] Johnson is also a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust.[51] He is the only member of the Johnson family to be invited to join the board of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.[107]
Johnson was the chairman of theJuvenile Diabetes Foundation International. He and his wife became involved with diabetes charities after his daughter Casey was diagnosed with diabetes in 1988.[51] In 1994, he co-wrote the book Managing Your Child's Diabetes with his wife Nancy, and Casey.[108] As of 2000, he had donated $12 million to the foundation. Johnson was a chairman on theCouncil on Foreign Relations, and successfully lobbied Congress to approve a five-year, $750 million package for funding diabetes research in 2002.[109]
Casey died ofdiabetic ketoacidosis on January 4, 2010.[110] 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.[111] He visited the University of Birmingham in 2018 to discuss the university's diabetes research and research library.[112]
Johnson is the founding chairman of the Lupus Research Alliance (formerly the Alliance for Lupus Research), which grants funding for research on improved diagnostics, treatments and prevention oflupus.[113] He founded the legacy organization, Alliance for Lupus Research, in 1999 after his daughter Jaime[114] was diagnosed with lupus. Johnson stated that the organization was meant to encourage public and scientific interest in lupus, which was understudied in comparison to many other chronic diseases.[115] In 2023, the LRA partnered with theFDA to establish the Lupus Accelerating Breakthroughs Consortium, which works to improve the efficacy of clinical trials for lupus treatments.[116][117]
During theongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Johnson and his wife Suzanne, who comes from a Ukrainian background, have organized aid efforts for Ukraine.[118] Their family visited Poland, which is the primary destination forUkrainian refugees displaced by the crisis.[119] While in Poland, they made visits to community centers, shelters, and orphanages housing Ukrainian refugees.[120] In an article forThe Telegraph, Johnson urged the United States and the United Kingdom to aid Ukraine.[119]
In April 2022, the Jets pledged a $1 million donation to Ukraine, to be distributed to various organizations, includingPlast Scouting USA andUnited24.[121][122][120]
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 toWoody Johnson at Wikimedia Commons
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom 2017–2021 | Succeeded by |
