William Summer Johnson was an American chemist and teacher. William Summer Johnson, one of the major figures in the development of the art and science of organic synthesis in the second half of the twentieth century, was born in New Rochelle, New York, on February 24, 1913, the second child of Roy Wilder Johnson and Josephine Summer. Johnson’s interest in chemistry became specifically focused on organic chemistry. Because this was the Depression, Johnson had to be totally self-supporting. From 1940 to 1958, Dr. Johnson was an instructor and then professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1958, he moved to Stanford University in California where he spent the remainder of his scientific career. He did important research in the artificial production of steroids and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1987.