John J. Johnson

John J. Johnson joined the Stanford faculty in 1946 and helped build the field of Latin American history into national prominence during his long and productive career. He was the author or editor of numerous books and articles on modern political developments in that region. In the early 1950s, he worked in the State Department as acting director of the South American Branch of the Division of Research on the American Republics. At various times over the years, he served as a consultant to the RAND Corporation, Foreign Service Institute, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. His 1958 book, Political Change in Latin America: The Emergence of the Middle Sectors (Stanford University Press), won the Herbert E. Bolton Prize of the Conference on Latin American History for the outstanding book of the year on Latin American History. In 2000 the name of the award was changed to the Bolton-Johnson Prize to acknowledge Johnny's lifelong contributions to the field. His other books examined the role of the military and politics in different Latin American countries and United States-Latin American relations. Read Professor Johnson's obituary in Stanford News.