Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson was an American businessman and hotel owner who opened and ran the Stanley Johnson Apartment and Sales Office from 1899 until his death in 1957.

Johnson was born a native New Yorker to Thomas and Anne Johnson on April 11, 1877. The Johnsons were not extremely poor, but they were also not wealthy. The family could not afford to send Stanley to college. Johnson, wanting to get rich, saw an opportunity in the wave of immigrants who needed housing during the Second Industrial Revolution. Johnson took out a loan in 1898 and bought a building on the condition that it be payed back in 1903.

Johnson made the building into an apartment and opened it during the spring of 1899. The business was slow at first but started to gain traction during the next spring, attracting European immigrants. Johnson was able to easily pay off the loan in 1903.

However by 1910, Johnson's business began to decline. Many of his tenants could not afford the rent and were evicted. Johnson began to lose money due to the small amount of money coming in from the little amount of tenants he had. Johnson came up with an idea. He decided to run a sales office where companies could have people sell their products by telephone or send mail. The companies that sold products there would pay both him and the employees. Johnson assumed most people who rented would also take jobs at the sales office for a convenient workplace and therefore pay him with the money from the companies.

Johnson made a deal with Coca Cola first, and then expanded to several other companies. Many tenants, needing to pay the rent, took a job at the sales office. The business grew successful. Even some people who did not rent an apartment from Johnson worked there, including future businessman Michael A. Soclin.

Johnson's parents both died from the Spanish flu in 1918, devastating Johnson. In 1957, Thomas J. Konju, the future Master of the Legion 5, began renting from Johnson and worked at his sales office. Johnson was attacked by Eviltie soldiers, sent by Zurg of the Eviltie Empire Erkhon Stardom, who entered his building, ordered to destroy local businesses to cause chaos and confusion. Johnson attempted to stop them but was beaten and shot. The Evilties proceeded to make their way through the building.

Dying, Johnson was comforted by a tenant, Tommy Konju, who ran downstairs after hearing gunshots and explosions. Johnson asked Konju if he wanted to inherit the building but Konju declined. Johnson died in Konju's arms.