Johnson & Johnson
Company History
Johnson & Johnson History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1886 in New Brunswick, United States
When was Johnson & Johnson founded?
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 in New Brunswick, United States by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson, making it 140 years old.
- Founded
- 1886
- Founding place
- New Brunswick, United States
- Founders
- Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson
- Headquarters today
- New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1886–2026)
- Current CEO
- Joaquin Duato
- Acquisitions
- 5
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1886 | Johnson & Johnson Founded |
| 1920 | Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Introduced |
| 1943 | Robert Wood Johnson II Writes 'Our Credo' |
| 1944 | J&J Goes Public |
| 1982 | Tylenol Cyanide Poisonings and Nationwide Recall |
| 2012 | Alex Gorsky Becomes CEO |
| 2017 | Actelion Acquired |
| 2022 | Joaquin Duato Becomes CEO |
| 2023 | Kenvue Separation |
| 2025 | FY2025 Sales of $94.193B |
| 2025 | Orthopaedics Separation Announced |
| 2026 | Proposed Talc Resolution and Raised Guidance |
- Where was Johnson & Johnson founded?
- Johnson & Johnson was founded in New Brunswick, United States in 1886. wikidata.org
- Who founded Johnson & Johnson?
- Johnson & Johnson was founded by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson.
- When did Johnson & Johnson start?
- Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886.
- How old is Johnson & Johnson?
- Johnson & Johnson is 140 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 1876 Robert Wood Johnson heard British surgeon Joseph Lister speak in Philadelphia about germs causing post-surgical infections. At the time many doctors were skeptical. In 1886 Robert and his brothers James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson started a company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to mass-produce ready-to-use sterile surgical dressings, one of the first businesses built on Lister's antiseptic methods.
Founders
Robert Wood Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson (1845-1910) co-founded Johnson & Johnson in 1886 and served as its first president. Influenced by Joseph Lister's antiseptic methods, he led the company's mass production of sterile surgical dressings and sutures and its early medical-education publishing, including the 1888 guide Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment. Education: Wyoming Seminary. Robert Wood Johnson I was born on February 20, 1845 and died on February 7, 1910. Robert Wood Johnson was born in 1845.
James Wood Johnson
James Wood Johnson (1856-1932) co-founded J&J with his brothers in 1886. An engineer by trade, he designed the early manufacturing machinery that allowed the company to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings. After his brother Robert's death in 1910, James took over as president, guiding the company through its expansion during World War I until 1932. Johnson was born on March 17, 1856. He died in September 1932 aboard RMS Majestic in the mid-Atlantic while returning to the United States from a holiday in Britain. James Wood Johnson was born in 1856.
Edward Mead Johnson
Edward Mead Johnson (1852-1934) co-founded J&J in 1886, bringing crucial sales and marketing expertise to the early business. He recognized the urgent need for safe infant feeding solutions, leading him to leave J&J in 1895 to establish his own company, Mead Johnson & Company, which became a global pioneer in infant nutrition. Education: University of Michigan; University of Michigan Law School. Johnson was born on April 23, 1852 and died on March 20, 1934. He gave up a career in law to join his brothers in 1886, and left the business in 1895 to found what became Mead Johnson. Edward Mead Johnson was born in 1852.
Key Milestones
Johnson & Johnson Founded
Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson found the company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with 14 employees, to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings after Robert was inspired by antiseptic pioneer Joseph Lister's 1885 warnings about infection risk in American hospitals.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBand-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Introduced
J&J introduces the first mass-produced adhesive bandage, sold under the Band-Aid brand starting in 1921; it becomes one of the most recognized consumer-health brands in the world before J&J later spins its consumer division out as Kenvue in 2023.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRobert Wood Johnson II Writes 'Our Credo'
Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II authors 'Our Credo,' a one-page statement ranking the company's responsibilities to customers, employees, communities, and shareholders in that order; it remains J&J's official governing philosophy and was later cited as the basis for the company's 1982 Tylenol recall decision.
Source: jnj.comJ&J Goes Public
Johnson & Johnson lists publicly, becoming an independent, market-traded company as it expands into a diversified healthcare business under Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTylenol Cyanide Poisonings and Nationwide Recall
After seven people in the Chicago area die from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules, J&J issues a nationwide recall of 31 million bottles within a week -- far beyond what investigators said was necessary -- citing Our Credo's customer-safety priority. The response, which cost more than $100 million, is now taught as the standard for corporate crisis management, and Tylenol recovered its market position within about a year.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAlex Gorsky Becomes CEO
Gorsky succeeds William Weldon as CEO amid a period of manufacturing-quality recalls, and spends the next decade restoring J&J's operational reputation while expanding the pharmaceutical and MedTech businesses and developing a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgActelion Acquired
Johnson & Johnson bought the Swiss drugmaker Actelion in 2017 for about $30 billion.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJoaquin Duato Becomes CEO
Duato becomes CEO in January 2022, later adding the chairman title, and begins preparing the separation of J&J's consumer-health business from its medicine and device operations.
Source: sec.govKenvue Separation
J&J completes the spinoff of its consumer-health business (Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena) as the standalone public company Kenvue, narrowing J&J around its higher-margin Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFY2025 Sales of $94.193B
Johnson & Johnson reports $94.193 billion in sales and $26.804 billion in net earnings, split roughly 64% Innovative Medicine and 36% MedTech, both segments growing about 6% year over year.
Source: sec.govOrthopaedics Separation Announced
In October 2025 J&J announced plans to separate its orthopaedics business as a standalone company operating as DePuy Synthes, targeting completion in 2027.
Source: investor.jnj.comProposed Talc Resolution and Raised Guidance
J&J raised 2026 sales guidance to about $101.1 billion after Q2 sales of $25.31 billion, and on July 27, 2026 proposed an estimated $5.5 billion resolution of remaining ovarian talc claims.
Source: jnj.comMajor Acquisitions
Actelion
2017J&J acquired the Swiss biotech Actelion to add pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments and strengthen its specialty pharmaceutical pipeline.
Kenvue separation
2023Johnson & Johnson separated its consumer-health business -- Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena -- into the standalone public company Kenvue, rather than acquiring a company.
Abiomed
2022J&J acquired heart-pump maker Abiomed to expand its MedTech cardiovascular device portfolio, paying $380 per share upfront plus contingent value rights of up to $35 per share tied to milestones.
Shockwave Medical
2024J&J acquired Shockwave Medical, a leading maker of intravascular lithotripsy devices used to treat calcified coronary and peripheral artery disease, to further build out its cardiovascular MedTech business.
Intra-Cellular Therapies
2025J&J agreed to acquire Intra-Cellular Therapies for $132.00 per share in cash, adding the neuroscience drug CAPLYTA and related pipeline assets to its Innovative Medicine business.
Keep researching Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Company History FAQ
What are the historic milestones across J&J's 140-year history?
Key milestones include the 1886 founding in New Brunswick, the first commercial first aid kits (1888), Band-Aid (1920-21), Our Credo (1943), the 1944 public listing, the 1961 Janssen acquisition, the 1982 Tylenol recall, Actelion (2017), the Kenvue separation (2023), Shockwave Medical (2024), Intra-Cellular Therapies (2025), and the planned DePuy Synthes separation.
How did the 1982 Tylenol crisis redefine corporate crisis management worldwide?
In 1982, when seven people tragically died from tampered Tylenol capsules in Chicago, CEO James Burke prioritized human lives over profits, recalling 31 million bottles ($100M cost), offering full consumer refunds, and inventing tamper-evident packaging that restored brand trust within months.
When did Johnson & Johnson list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange?
On September 24, 1944, Johnson & Johnson completed its Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol JNJ, initiating an unbroken eight-decade record of shareholder value creation.
How did the acquisition of Janssen Pharmaceutica in 1961 transform J&J into a pharmaceutical leader?
In 1961, J&J acquired Belgian drug maker Janssen Pharmaceutica, led by well-known pharmacologist Dr. Paul Janssen (inventor of over 80 patented medicines including Haldol and Fentanyl), which became the core of J&J's Innovative Medicine division.
What was the significance of the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by J&J in 2021?
J&J's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, based on its AdVac adenoviral vector platform, received US emergency use authorization in February 2021 and was supplied to many countries during the pandemic.
What was the historic separation and spin-off of Kenvue in 2023?
In 2023, J&J completed the largest corporate separation in US healthcare history, spinning off its Consumer Health arm into independent publicly traded company Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE), sharpening J&J's focus on high-margin pharmaceutical and medical device innovation.
What was the landmark 2024 FDA approval of Carvykti for second-line multiple myeloma?
In April 2024, the US FDA expanded approval for J&J's Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) for multiple myeloma patients after just one prior line of therapy, reducing disease progression risk by 59% in clinical trials and establishing a new standard of care.
What is Johnson & Johnson's long-term vision for the future of human health?
Guided by Our Credo, J&J aims to prevent, intercept, and cure complex human diseases, combining transformative cellular biotherapies, AI-guided robotic surgery, and advanced cardiovascular devices to elevate the standard of care for patients worldwide.
How did Johnson & Johnson start?
It was founded in 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, by three brothers: Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson. At the time, hospitals were incredibly deadly due to massive infections. Inspired by Sir Joseph Lister's theories on airborne germs, the brothers completely revolutionized medicine by inventing the first commercially mass-produced sterile surgical dressings and sutures.
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