Mordecai Wyatt Johnson

Who was Mordecai Wyatt Johnson?

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was an American educator and pastor. He served as the first black 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.

Johnson was born in Paris, Tennessee, the son of former slaves Reverend Wyatt J. Johnson and Carolyn Freeman.

Johnson received his B.A. from Morehouse College in 1911, and second bachelor of arts degree from the University of Chicago two years later. He studied at several other institutions of higher education, including the Rochester Theological Seminary, Harvard University, Howard University, and the Gammon Theological Seminary.