Haynes Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Haynes Johnson
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Johnson circa 2006
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| Born | July 9, 1931 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | May 24, 2013 (aged 81) |
| Known for | Pulitzer Prize |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Erwin; Kathryn A. Oberly |
Haynes Bonner Johnson (born July 9, 1931 – died May 24, 2013) was an American journalist, author, and television expert. He reported on many important news stories from the mid-1900s onwards. Many people saw him as one of the best American political writers.
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Haynes Johnson's Life and Career
Haynes Johnson was born in New York City. His father, Malcolm Johnson, was also a journalist. His mother, Emma Ludie, was a pianist. Haynes was the oldest of four children. He grew up on Long Island.
He studied journalism at the University of Missouri, finishing in 1952. After that, he served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant during the Korean War. In 1956, he earned a master's degree in American history from the University of Wisconsin.
Johnson started his newspaper career as a copy boy (an assistant) at The New York Sun in Manhattan, where his father worked. In 1956, he began reporting for the Wilmington News-Journal in Delaware. The next year, he joined the Washington Evening Star. He worked there for 12 years as a reporter, editor, and national reporter. He covered conflicts in places like the Dominican Republic and India, and also the Vietnam War.
In 1969, Johnson joined The Washington Post. He worked there as a national correspondent, a special assignment reporter, and later as a national affairs columnist.
Winning the Pulitzer Prize
Haynes Johnson won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1966. This award was for his reporting on the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. This was a special moment because it was the first time in Pulitzer Prize history that both a father and son had won awards for reporting. His father, Malcolm Johnson, won his Pulitzer in 1949.
Books and TV Appearances
Haynes Johnson wrote or edited 16 books, and five of them became best-sellers. One of his recent books, The Battle for America: 2008, was written with Dan Balz, another reporter from The Washington Post. Johnson also appeared regularly on the PBS television shows Washington Week in Review and The News Hour, where he shared his thoughts on current events.
He also taught at several universities, including Duke University, Princeton University, and the University of Maryland. He was the Knight chair of public affairs journalism at the University of Maryland from 1998 until 2013.
Haynes Johnson's Family Life
Haynes Johnson married Julia Ann Erwin in 1954. They had five children together before they divorced. In 2002, he married Kathryn Oberly.
His Passing
Haynes Johnson passed away on May 24, 2013, from a heart attack in Bethesda, Maryland. He was survived by his wife, Kathryn A. Oberly, and his three daughters and two sons from his first marriage.
Many people who worked with Haynes Johnson spoke highly of him. Dan Balz, a senior political reporter, called him "a great journalist." Gene Roberts, a well-known editor, said that Johnson "made his subjects come alive" and that his writing was "polished." David Axelrod, who advised Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, said that when he was a young reporter, Haynes Johnson was one of the "great, iconic journalists" everyone looked up to.
