Elizabeth Friench Johnson (March 21, 1890 – February 21, 1979) was an American college professor. She was head of the modern languages department at

Winthrop College Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

in South Carolina, from 1922 to 1955. She also taught at

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in ...

and

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

Early life

Johnson was born in

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of ...

, the daughter of Joseph Benjamin Johnson and Fannie Simpson Johnson. She graduated from

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

in 1911, and completed her doctoral studies in 1916 at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. Her research involved German literature and

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

; her dissertation title was '' Weckherlin's Eclogues of the Seasons'' (1922). She was a member of the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

honor society.

Career

Johnson taught at Sweet Briar College from 1917 to 1921. From 1922 to 1955, Johnson was head of the modern languages department at Winthrop College. She hosted meetings of the school's German club in her home. and chaired the board of advisors for the Rock Hill

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

. After she retired from Winthrop, she was a visiting professor of Centre College in

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...

. Johnson was president of the South Carolina chapter of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

(AAUW), and of the American Association of French Teachers. From 1937 to 1940, she was poet laureate of the South Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs. She addressed the annual meeting of the South Carolina Teachers' Association in 1926. She was active in the South Atlantic regional gatherings of the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...

. She was a member of the South Carolina State Council on Teacher Education. In 1955, she was a judge at a national French contest, held in Pennsylvania. Johnson was active in the Episcopal Church, and was a serious gardener. She was the 1956 South Carolina winner of the Houbigant Grand National Quelques Fleurs French Garden Merit Scroll, for her garden layout.

Personal life

Johnson died in 1979, aged 88 years, in

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the most populous city in York County, South Carolina, United States, and the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 5th-most populous city in the state. It is also the 4th-most populous city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, be ...

. In 1970, she donated her papers to the library at Winthrop University.Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University
"Elizabeth Friench Johnson Papers - Accession 64"
Finding Aid 48. She also donated a collection of bulletins from the Carolina Bird Club, Inc.Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University
"Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Bulletins - Accession 176 - M79 (98-100)"
Finding Aid 179.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Elizabeth Friench 1890 births 1979 deaths People from Manassas, Virginia Goucher College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Sweet Briar College faculty Centre College faculty Winthrop University faculty