Johnson, John Harold (1918-2005)

US publisher and consumer products executive. He founded Johnson Publishing Co. in 1942 and launched the Negro Digest in the same year, a successful compilation modelled on Reader's Digest but aimed at African-Americans. That was followed by Ebony in 1945, a breakthrough vehicle for national advertisers to target black middle-class markets. His other corporate interests included radio stations, books, and cosmetics.

He was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas.