John J. Johnson—one of the giants of the field of Latin American history, and indeed Latin American studies in general—passed away peacefully on May 28, 2004, in Gunnison, Colorado, at the age of 92. Johnson hit his stride in the late fifties and early sixties, just when the profession was exploding. He contributed mightily to its newfound success and rapid growth.
Born on March 26, 1912, on a farm in White Swan, Washington, Johnson took pride in growing up on an Indian reservation. He received his A.B. from Central Washington College of Education in 1940, the first college graduate in his family. He earned his M.A. (1943) and Ph.D. (1946) from the University of California, Berkeley. Johnson served as professor of history at Stanford from 1946 to 1977, during a time when this university was quickly rising to academic prominence. In the early 1950s, he also worked in the State...
