archives.nypl.org -- Rossiter and Helen Kendrick Johnson papers (original) (raw)

Rossiter Johnson, author, editor and anti-feminist, was born in Rochester, NY January 27, 1840. A graduate of the University of Rochester in 1863, he received an LLD in 1893. b Johnson edited works include the Rochester "Democrat", a Republican newspaper 1863-1864, the Concord, New Hampshire "Statesman" 1869-1872 and the "American Encyclopedia" 1879-1880. Johnson, a strong anti-feminist included among his memberships, "The National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage"and "The New York State Association Opposed to Women Suffrage". Twice married, first to Helen Kendrick Johnson, an author 1869. They had a daughter Florence. Widowed, he remarried to Mary Agnes Keyes in 1924. Johnson died on October 3, 1931.

Rossiter Johnson - Brief Biography

• 1840 January 27Born in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Reuben Johnson, a teacher and Almira Alexander
• 186Member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity
• 1863Graduated at University of Rochester, New York,
• 1864-1868On editorial staff of the Rochester Democrat.
• 1869 May 20Married Helen Kendrick Johnson, daughter of Professor Asahel Clark Kendrick of the University of Rochester.
• 1869-1872Editor of the Concord, N. H. Statesman.
• 1873-1877Relocated to New York City and became an associate editor with George Ripley and Charles A. Dana during the revision of the American Cyclopaedia.
• 1877Toured Europe with his wife and he sailed in August on the White Star liner "Germanic".
• 1878Edited with Clarence King the "Report of King's Survey of the Fortieth Parallel".
• 1879Relocated to Staten Island to assist Sydney Howard Gay with the preparation of Volume 3 and 4 of the Bryant and Gay "History of the United States".
• 1881Returned to Manhattan and worked on a revision of the "American Cyclopaedia" which had to be discontinued because the census of 1880 had been so overloaded that its statistics were not promptly available.
• 1883-1902Succeeded William J. Tenney as editor of "Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia".
• 1884Spent the Summer in Monmouth, Maine, staying with Mr. & Mrs. Lorettus S. Metcalf.
• 1886 May-1889Managing editor of "Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography". 6 vols.
• 1887-1888Spent summers at Oak Ridge, New Jersey
• 1889Toured the West with his wife and daughter.
• 1890Brought an ocean-side house at Amangansett, Long Island.
• 1892-1893, 1897-1900Secretary of the Author's Club.
• 1898Founded, with J. Eugene Whitney, "The People's University Extension Society". Served as President 1898 - ? Associate editor of the "Standard Dictionary"
• 1899President of "The Society of the Genesee"
• 1902Revised the "Universal Cyclopaedia" and "Atlas".
• 1904-1917Treasurer of the "Author's Club, New York"
• 1904 July 23Notified by the President of D. Appleton and Company, that his services are no longer necessary, the reason was that the firm was being reorganized. "There is in no way any implication in this that you personally of your work are unsatisfactory"
• 1906-1907Edited with Dora Knowlton Ranous "The Literature of Italy".
• 1908——————-for The Authors Press "The Authors Digest: The World's Great Stories in Brief". 1908. Treasurer of The Guidon Club, opposed to Woman Suffrage.
• 1924 May21Married Mary Agnes Keys at Amangansett, Long Island.
• 1931 October 3Passed away

Helen Kendrick Johnson, was an author, editor and shared the same anti-feminist views as her husband Rossiter Johnson, The was born January 4, 1844 in Hamilton, NY and was educated at the Oread Institute. H. K. Johnson's edited works include the "American Woman's Journal"

l893-1894, The Nutshell Series, Poems and Songs for Young People" and "Woman and the Republic" authored. She founded the _M_eridian-a woman's club and "The Guidon", an anti-Suffrage organization for men and women. She died in 1914 and was survived by her husband Rossiter and her daughter Florence.