Woody Johnson

Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who was the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021.

He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, one of three brothers who founded Johnson & Johnson.

Between 1997 and 1998, he donated $130,000 to the Republican Party, along with donating $22,583 to George W. Bush's 1998 gubernatorial re-election campaign of Texas.

In 2000 he purchased the New York Jets football team and is currently the Jets co-owner alongside his brother, Christopher Johnson.

A longtime Republican Party donor, Johnson was a supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and was appointed by Trump to the post of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Events during his tenure included Britain's exit from the EU and the relocation of the United States embassy in London.

Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Betty Johnson (née Wold) and Robert Wood Johnson III, and the great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I who founded the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company.

He grew up with four siblings, Keith Johnson, Billy Johnson, Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, and Christopher Wold Johnson, in northern New Jersey, and attended the Millbrook School.

He graduated from the University of Arizona and worked summer jobs at Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson was the chairman and chief executive of The Johnson Company, Inc., a private investment firm.

In a statement, Johnson said he had been advised by his lawyers in 2000 that the transaction "was consistent with the Tax Code."

In January 2000, Johnson purchased the New York Jets for $635 million, at the time the third-highest price for a professional sports team and the highest for a New York professional sports team.

Johnson outbid the offer of $612 million placed by Charles Dolan, the owner of the Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks, and New York Rangers.

He was later a major New York fund-raiser for Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.

After the Internal Revenue Service challenged that view in 2003, Johnson in 2006 settled with the IRS and agreed to pay 100 percent of the tax due plus interest.

Johnson was the committee president of the Pre-Commissioning Unit for the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD-21).

However, after the project's defeat in 2005, Johnson announced the Jets would move to a new Meadowlands Stadium as an equal partner with the New York Giants.

In August 2006, Johnson was asked to testify before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding his participation in a tax avoidance scheme.

A Senate report said that Johnson, along with others, was able to buy, for relatively small fees, roughly $2 billion in capital losses that they used to erase taxable gains they garnered from stock sales.

The U.S. Treasury lost an estimated $300 million in revenue as a result.

The new stadium opened on April 10, 2010, with naming rights being acquired by MetLife.

Johnson was a member of the eight-man NFL search committee to choose a successor to Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner.

Johnson's brother Christopher took over as CEO and acting owner in 2017, while Johnson was U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

In 2021, after returning to the U.S., Woody Johnson returned as Jets chairman, while Christopher Johnson became vice-chairman.

In June 2021, Johnson stated his excitement to work with coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, whom he praised.

He expressed optimism about putting together a winning team in 2021, after the Jets had experienced setbacks during his absence.

In January 2023, Johnson said that he felt the "missing piece" in the team's current lineup was a strong quarterback, citing the team's strong defense but weaker offense.

Around that time, Johnson began courting four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, telling ESPN that "you want the best possible QB that you can get to lead the Jets".

The Jets also hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, whom Rodgers has a strong rapport with.

On April 24, 2023 it was reported that the Jets were finalizing a trade deal for Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers.

In March 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid to purchase Chelsea F.C. from sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich.

He became a fan of the football team while serving as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

His knowledge of London and sports management was expected to give him an edge over Saudi Media Group, another party interested in buying the team.

On March 25, it was reported that he was no longer in the bidding for Chelsea F.C.

Johnson's wealth is primarily due to his family's prior ownership of Johnson & Johnson.

Today, over 70% of J&J shares are held by institutional investors and no Johnson family member owns more than 100,000 of the 7.6 billion shares of the company.

Johnson's personal net worth was estimated at $5.7 billion in March 2022.

Johnson has given more than $1 million to various Republican candidates and committees.

Forbes valued the team at $3.2 billion as of September 2019.

After buying the Jets, Johnson announced plans to move them to the proposed West Side Stadium in Manhattan.