William "Hootie" Johnson facts for kids

William Woodward "Hootie" Johnson (February 16, 1931 – July 14, 2017) was the chairman of the executive committee at Bank of America, a member of the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame, and a chairman of Augusta National Golf Club.

Early life and personal

Johnson was born to Dewey H. and Mabel (née Woodward) Johnson, in 1931 at Augusta, Georgia and grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina, attending Greenwood High School. He attended the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship.

Johnson was married to Pierrine Johnson and had four daughters, ten grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. He died of congestive heart failure on July 14, 2017 at the age of 86.

Banking career

After graduating, Johnson returned home and worked with his father at the Bank of Greenwood, which eventually evolved into the State Bank and Trust Company, and subsequently was renamed Bankers Trust of South Carolina in 1969. By 1965, Johnson had assumed control of the bank, and under his leadership, Bankers Trust of South Carolina rose from obscurity to become a high-performance, widely respected bank. Johnson served as chairman of the executive committee at Bank of America, and also a director of the company. He also served on the boards of Duke Power, Liberty Corporation, Alltel and Stephens, Inc.

Augusta National

As former chairman and current "Chairman Emeritus" of Augusta National Golf Club, Johnson held the chairmanship from 1998 to 2006 and directed two significant overhauls of the golf course, allowed 18-hole network television coverage of the tournament for the first time, and made significant changes in Masters qualifying procedures. He was succeeded by Billy Payne.

Political career

Johnson was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives during 1957 and 1958. He also was a trustee of historically black Benedict College. Johnson served as former board member of the National Urban League; served as co-chairman of committee that developed a plan to desegregate universities in South Carolina, and in 1975, received the Outstanding Citizen Award from B'nai B'rith. He had supported African-Americans for public office. As a banker, he had appointed African-Americans and women to his corporate boards. He made loans to minorities. Following the 1968 Orangeburg massacre (in which three South Carolina State University students were killed by state troopers while participating in civil rights protests), Johnson had worked on a desegregation plan for the state's colleges and universities. Johnson had also been the first businessman who pushed to have the Confederate flag removed from the state house in Columbia.

Johnson also served as chairman of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, chairman of the South Carolina Research Authority, and trustee of the University of South Carolina Business Partnership Foundation.