Leon H. Johnson
| Leon H. Johnson | |
|---|---|
| 7th President of Montana State University |
|
|
In office February 14, 1964 – June 18, 1969 |
|
| Preceded by | Roland Renne |
| Succeeded by | Carl W. McIntosh |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 6, 1908 Hawley, Minnesota, United States |
| Died | June 18, 1969 (aged 61) Bozeman, Montana, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Esther Pauline Evenson Johnson |
| Children | Vance (daughter) and Linda (daughter) |
| Alma mater |
Concordia College University of Minnesota |
| Profession | Professor of Chemistry |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Website | www.montana.edu |
Leon H. Johnson (March 6, 1908 – June 18, 1969) was an American chemist and mathematician who served as President of Montana State University from 1964 to 1969. A group of historians named him one of Montana State's four most important presidents in 2011.
Leon Johnson was born March 6, 1908, in Hawley, Minnesota, to Hans L. and Petra (Solum) J. Johnson. He had four siblings: Brothers Harvey, Burtrum and Hans, and sister Orpha. His parents were both of Norwegian descent, and he grew up speaking perfect Norwegian.
He enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics in 1932. After graduate, he taught chemistry, music, and physics at high schools in Killdeer and Mandan, North Dakota. he also filled administrative roles in these schools. He left teaching high school in 1939, and took a position as an instructor in agricultural biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. He enrolled the same year in the university's doctoral program, and graduated in 1943 with a Ph.D. in biochemistry. From 1940 to 1943, he was a Frasch Foundation Research Fellow.
Johnson won an appointment as an assistant professor of chemistry and a research biochemist at what was then known as Montana State College (MSC) on September 1, 1943. He was promoted to full professor in 1948. In 1947, MSC President Roland Renne appointed him director of the MSC Endowment and Research Foundation. This nonprofit organization, newly established by Renne, was incorporated to allow the college to accept federal and private research grants. He continued in the position partway into his presidency, until 1967.
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