Johnston, John Taylor (1820-1893)

US businessman and art collector. He was the founder of what was to become the New Jersey Central Railroad. He collected paintings and became the first president of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. He left some art to the Metropolitan and a considerable sum of money to New York University.

Born in New York City, he studied in Edinburgh when young, graduated from New York University in 1839, and studied law at Yale 1839-41. After travel abroad (c. 1843-45), he became a railway executive.