W. H. Johnson

William H. Johnson (died 3 March 1883) was a British surveyor active in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. He is noted for the first definition of the boundary of Ladakh in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which has come to be called the 'Johnson Line'. After retiring from the Survey of India, Johnson was appointed as the Governor of Ladakh, in which position he served until his death.

Johnson was born in India to an Ordinance officer of the East India Company, who lived in "Deyrah". He was educated at Mussorie and joined the Civil Branch of the Great Trigonometric Survey (the precursor of the Survey of India), where he was trained by Andrew Scott Waugh.

Johnson began his career as a surveyor in 1848 under Captain du Vernet in the North-West Himalayan Survey. After du Vernet moved to Assam in 1852, he worked for some time doing route surveys in Punjab, then the survey of the Chenab River, and the survey of Bhagirathi and Kanawar. In 1854, he ascended the snowy peak near the Néla pass, which was regarded as a considerable accomplishment.

In 1855, he joined the newly formed Kashmir Survey party to survey the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He was second-in-command to Thomas George Montgomerie but in fact had a leading role on account of Montgomerie being busy in Srinagar. He led the survey of the Pir Panjal range, Kishenganga valley, Chandrabhaga valley, and later Indus and Shyok river valleys. He ascended some of the tallest peaks in the line of his work. He also connected the Kashmir triangulation with the North-West Himalaya.

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