Robert L. Johnson

American businessman (born 1946)

Robert Louis Johnson [2] (born April 8, 1946 is American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor.He is the co-founder of BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001 .[3] He is also the founder of RLJ Companies which is a holding company that invests in various business sectors .Johnson is the former majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.His company is listed d among the most prominent African-American businesses in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries[4]

Robert L. Johnson
Johnson in 2018
Born
Robert Louis Johnson

(1946-04-08) April 8, 1946 (age 78)
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)
Known forCo-founder of BET
WebsiteOfficial website
Robert_L. Johnson with President Bush

Early Life and Education

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Johnson was born in 1946 in French Camp, California.[5] His mother was a schoolteacher and his father was a farmer . Johnson graduated from the University of Illinois in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in social studies . At the University of Illinois, Johnson became a member of the Beta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity . He received a master's degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in 1972 .[6]

Personal life

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He married Shelia Johnson[7] in 1969 and have 2 children .They divorced in 2001 .Johnson dated Lauren Wooden, who is 33 years younger, in 2010.They married in May 2016, Greg Mathis officiated.[8]

References

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  1. Miller, Matthew (May 6, 2009). "The Wealthiest Black Americans". Forbes Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2013. ... Robert Johnson became the first African American billionaire in 2000 after he sold the network to Viacom for $3 billion in stock and assumed swag. Since then, sagging Viacom and CBS stock, plus investments in real estate, hotels and banks ... have dragged Johnson's net worth to $550 million, we estimate.
  2. Bryant, Adam (2011-11-12). "No Ranting and Raving Is Permitted". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  3. "Bob Johnson moves way beyond BET - Nov. 7, 2012". 2013-09-21. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  4. Rhoden, William C. (2004-06-21). "Sports of The Times; First Item for the Bobcats: Win Over the Community". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  5. "The Market Nobody Wanted - October 1, 2002". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  6. "RLJ Lodging Trust Form 10-K Annual Report". edgar.secdatabase.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  7. Johnson, Darragh (2005-09-25). "Sheila Johnson, Marrying Very Well". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  8. "Lowes Comoanies Inc form 20-K". edgar.secdatabase.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.