Mordecai Wyatt Johnson

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson
BornJanuary 4, 1890
Paris, Tennessee
DiedSeptember 10, 1976
Washington, D.C.
Alma materMorehouse College
EmployerHoward University
Known forFirst African-American president of Howard University
AwardsSpingarn Medal
Mordecai Johnson, president of Howard University, serving portions of Thanksgiving turkey to members of his family in 1942.

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson (January 4, 1890 – September 10, 1976) was an American educator and pastor. He served as the first African-American president of Howard University, from 1926 until 1960. Johnson has been considered one of the three leading African-American preachers of the early 20th-century, along with Vernon Johns and Howard Thurman.