Willis E. (Willis Ernest) Johnson

Born in Delano, Minnesota, in 1869, Willis Ernest Johnson built his career in education and went on to serve as president of South Dakota State College from 1919 to 1923. Sources from South Dakota State University and memorial records agree on his dates and identify him as a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan and the University of Minnesota.

At South Dakota State, he led during a difficult period shaped by postwar financial and infrastructure challenges. The university credits his presidency with helping formalize student organizations and intercollegiate athletics, opening a campus bookstore and post office, starting the Printing Department, and organizing instruction into five divisions that later developed into the college's academic structure.

He is also associated with educational writing, including geography-related works such as Mathematical Geography. Taken together, the record that survives shows a teacher-administrator whose influence was felt both in the classroom and in the growth of a public college.