Johns Hopkins Biography

Johns Hopkins was an American entrepreneur and investor who left large endowments in his will to found Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital. His generous bequests also helped to form the academic divisions such as Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University. He was born to Quaker parents in late 18th century. His father was a tobacco planter who emancipated his slaves in accordance with Quaker beliefs when the abolitionist movement gained momentum in America. Aged just 12 at this time, Johns was taken out of school to help his parents at the plantation. He learnt the values of hard work and integrity at a young age and grew up to be a principled, disciplined and determined young man. He started helping his uncle with his wholesale grocery business while still a teenager and quickly realized that he was blessed with great business skills. He fell in love with his cousin but was unable to marry her because of social and religious restrictions. He drowned himself in his work to deal with the heartbreak and amassed a great fortune over the years. A kind hearted person who believed in giving back to the society, he left large endowments in his will to found Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital.