Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Dr. Theodore Johnson (b. 1913 - d. 1966)
MSA SC 5496-050591
Physician and community leader in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Biography:

Theodore Herman Johnson, Jr., was born to Theodore Johnson, Sr., and his wife, Edith Price Carl, on July 15, 1913.1 According to the Baltimore Afro-American, Theodore H. Johnson "was educated at Lincoln and Howard universities, ... completed his advance study at New York, Buffalo, and Harvard Universities, ... [and interned] at Freedman's Hospital in Washington."2 Johnson and his first wife, Marjorie, divorced in January 1946. He married his second wife, Emily A. Mann, a Tennessee-born schoolteacher, on February 14, 1946. Theodore and Emily Johnson's children were Theodore III and Michael.3

Between 1944 and 1946, Dr. Johnson opened a maternity clinic for African American mothers whom the Annapolis hospital turned away.4 His practice stood at 38-40 Northwest Street in Annapolis.5 In 1954, his employees included Agnes Jacobs, a nurse, and Doris Thomas, an office secretary and notary public.6 Dr. Johnson was also "instrumental in investigating and remedying job discrimination at the Naval Academy." Like Alderman Thomas Norwood Brown, Dr. Johnson also championed the hiring of Andrew L. Turner, Annapolis' first black police officer.7 Like Alderman Brown, Dr. Johnson also worked to encourage voting among African Americans.8

On May 27, 1949, the Evening Capital published a photograph of Dr. Johnson with four other political candidates for the offices of aldermen in Ward 4: Dr. Norman H. Williams, Samuel Schenker, John Greer, and William Hall.9 Both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Williams were defeated in June by the incumbent Charles A. Oliver and by Dr. O. W. H. McNeill.10 A month later, the Capital ran an article listing Dr. Johnson, Charles E. Hicks, and Mrs. Lulu C. Hardesty as leaders in the campaign for an addition to the circa 1900 Annapolis Emergency Hospital, now the Anne Arundel General Hospital. The campaign surpassed its goal of $350,00.11

In 1961, Theodore and Emily Johnson divorced.12 Dr. Johnson passed away on June 24, 1966, at Anne Arundel County General Hospital, survived by his third wife, Irene M. Johnson. He was buried at Carver Memorial Cemetery in Laurel, Maryland.13 In the course of his lifetime, Dr. Johnson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the American Academy of General Practitioners, the American Medical Association, the Annapolis Charter of Frontiers, the Anne Arundel County Medical Association, the Del-Mar-Va Medical Association, the Maryland Medical and Chirurgical Society, the local NAACP branch (president), the Universal Lodge No. 14, and the YMCA.14
 


1.     Although Johnson's marriage certificate from his second marriage lists his birthplace as New York, both his death certificate and his obituary give his birthplace as Georgia.
        DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS AND STATISTICS, (Death Record, Counties), [MSA S1268-4130]. Theodore Herman Johnson, Jr. June 24, 1966, Anne Arundel County.
Location: 02/17/05/004, MdHR Number: 50,259-1579-2, MSA Citation: MSA S1268-4130. Theodore Herman Johnson, Jr. June 24, 1966, Anne Arundel County.
        "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18. Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
        DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS, (Marriage Certificates), [MSA S1772-374]. Theodore H. Johnson and Emily A. Mann, February 14, 1946, Anne Arundel County.

2.     "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.

3.     ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Land Records) Volume 617 pp. 460-62; "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.

4.     Ibid.

5.     Annapolis Maryland City Directory. Vol. 1, no. 374. Robert Morton Baldwin, 1949: 147.

6.     Polk's City Annapolis (Anne Arundel County, Maryland) Directory. Boston, MA: R.L. Polk & Co., Inc. 1954.  74, 137

7.     "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.
        "A Policeman and a Pioneer: Andrew Turner Helped Lead Annapolis Out of Age of Intolerance." Baltimore Sun 7 December 1995. The Baltimore Sun Article Collections. www.baltimoresun.com.

8.     "Political Meet to Discuss Voter Responsibility." The Capital 16 May 1957: 5. Access Newpaper Archive.

9.     Marion E. Warren Collection. 1949-05-27. Political Candidates (l to r): Dr. Norman Williams, Dr. Theodore Johnson, Samuel Schenker, John Greer, and William Hall, photo taken for Evening Capital. Accession No.: MSA SC 1890-1-30564a. Maryland State Archives, Special Collections Department.
        Marion E. Warren Collection. 1949-05-27. Artist/Author: Marion E. Warren. Description: Political Candidate Dr. Theodore Johnson, photo taken for Evening Capital. Accession No.: MSA SC 1890-1-30564e. Maryland State Archives, Special Collections Department.

10.   "Rowe Opposes McCready Fisher, Hoff Defeated." The Capital 21 June 1949: 1 and 4.

11.   "Hospital Drive Over Top." The Capital 15 July 1949: 1.
        "Anne Arundel County General Hospital," Annapolis, AA-501. Maryland Historical Trust. www.mdihp.net.

12.   "Dr. Theodore H. Johnson, Annapolis Physician, Sued for Divorce, Alimony." Afro-American 21 January 1961: 18. Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
        "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.
        "Johnson, Irene M." Social Security Death Index. http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi.

13.   DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS AND STATISTICS, (Death Record, Counties), [MSA S1268-4130]. Theodore Herman Johnson, Jr. June 24, 1966, Anne Arundel County.
        "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.

14.   Garrett, Lula. "Johnsons Present Kerr, Matthews in 1st Soiree." Baltimore Afro-American 26 November 1949: 10. P Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
        "Dr. T. Johnson Buried Wednesday." Baltimore Afro-American 9 July 1966: 18.
        "NAACP Meet Set Sunday." The Capital 14 November 1958: 3.
        "Tea Set Sunday by Local NAACP." The Capital 27 November 1959: 5.
 

Return to Dr. Theodore Johnson's Introductory Page


This web site is presented for reference purposes under the doctrine of fair use. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: The site may contain material from other sources which may be under copyright. Rights assessment, and full originating source citation, is the responsibility of the user.


Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!



© Copyright September 26, 2014 Maryland State Archives