Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr.
Quick Facts
Biography
Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr. (December 24, 1833 – December 6, 1919) founded S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. of Racine, Wisconsin.
Life
In 1882 he moved to Racine where he became a parquet flooring salesman for the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Co. In 1886 he purchased the flooring business from the company and renamed it Johnson's Prepared Paste Wax Company. A few years later he established his own factory for manufacturing floor waxes and wood finishes. When his son, Herbert Fisk Johnson became a partner in 1906, the firm was renamed S. C. Johnson & Son.
Legacy
SC Johnson remains privately held by the Johnson family today, and operates in more than 70 countries, employs 12,000 people, and provides products in more than 110 countries around the world. The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York is named in his honor.