Johnson, William R., b. 1922
Biography
William Raymond Johnson was born on January 29, 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in February 1942 and joined the Dartmouth College Navy V-12 program in July 1944. He remained at Dartmouth until he was discharged in early 1946. Interested in a career in art, Johnson attended the Jean Morgan School of Art in New York City for a couple of years and then got a job as a staff artist at the American Seal-Kap Corporation on Long Island. In 1951, he became a staff artist at Chartmakers, Inc., leaving there in 1955 to become a freelance artist, cartoonist, writer and illustrator. He published a juvenile activity book "Holiday Funtime" in 1964 and was an illustrator for a number of other children's books. From 1965-1971, Johnson drew a popular series of weekly sports cartoons for the "St. Paul Dispatch," featuring Minnesota baseball, football and hockey teams. He was invited to place some of his cartoons in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1971, Johnson joined Trend Enterprises in St. Paul as art director/artist, leaving around 1974 to found his own company, BLIP Productions.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
William R. Johnson papers
William R. Johnson (b.1922), artist, cartoonist and illustrator. Dartmouth College V-12 Program (1944-1946). The collection consists of material related to his work as an artist and illustrator, including original artwork.