In Memoriam: Nan H. Johnson, 1930-2022

Nan Johnson, a politician and the founder of the Susan B. Anthony Center at the University of Rochester, died late last month at her home in Pasadena, California. She was 92 years old.

A native of Pittsburgh, Johnson was a graduate of Barnard College in New York City, where she majored in political science. After completing one year at Cornell Law School, Johnson left to pursue a master’s degree in political science at the University of Rochester.

Johnson began her political career at the age of 45 and served in the Monroe County Legislature for 20 years. She rose to the rank of majority leader. During her time as a legislator, Johnson was an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester and served for 15 years on the board of trustees of the State University of New York.

Johnson retired from the legislature in 1995 and then founded and directed the Susan B. Anthony Center at the University of Rochester, where her husband was a professor of literature. In four years as director of the Susan B. Anthony Center, Johnson helped organize two major historical commemorations for the women’s rights movement: the 75th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and the 150th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention.