As early as the 1930s, Robert Wood Johnson proclaimed that business has a moral purpose, if not a moral imperative, to serve society and the public interest. Most of his fellow industrialists scoffed at this concept, but Johnson responded by writing a Credo in 1943 that states that the company's responsibilities (in order of importance) are to the people who use its products and services, to its employees, to the community and the environment and, last, to the stockholders. If these responsibilities are met, Johnson believed, profits will follow. These were revolutionary ideas.

The author, Lawrence Foster, a former journalist who later led Johnson & Johnson's public relations department for twenty-five years, tells how the Credo, with its emphasis on the consumers' needs, shaped the company's response to the infamous Tylenol® tragedies in 1982 and 1986. The eight murders from cyanide-laced capsules remain unsolved, but the company's actions during this difficult period have been recognized as a model of corporate responsibility. Johnson & Johnson recalled Tylenol® capsules from stores throughout the nation at a cost of $125 million, and later brought the product back in tamper-resistant packaging. PR Weekrecently recognized Foster's work as part of the management team handling this crisis by naming him one of the 10 Most Influential PR People of the 20th Century.

Based on decades of research, the book chronicles Robert Wood Johnson's rise from factory worker at his family's small surgical supply business in 1910 to the head of what became one of the world's best known and most admired companies. The father of such classic products as Band-Aid® Brand Adhesive Bandages and Johnson's® Baby Powder, Johnson led the company through a period of phenomenal growth as he continued to advance his social agenda. Always a pioneer, he understood the importance of global expansion at a time when most Americans were isolationists; he was a champion of the working class, arguing before Congress for an increase in the minimum wage; he advocated a larger role for women in the workplace; he saw the benefits of corporate decentralization; and he established a "Factories Can Be Beautiful" campaign because "We build not only structures in which men and women of the future will work, but also the patterns of society in which they will work."

Johnson enjoyed his wealth and the pleasures it brought him, but he felt that the creation of wealth must have a greater goal. When he died in 1968 he left virtually his entire fortune - more than $1 billion-to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest private philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving health and healthcare in America. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 billion toward its goals. Recognized for its creative approach, the Foundation has funded many programs to give Americans access to health care, and has been a leader in the battle against substance abuse.

When he was not working, Johnson pursued with endless energy his many non-business interests - politics, government, the military, mass transportation, architecture, writing, aviation, yachting and philanthropy - and excelled at all of them.

From openly criticizing President Herbert Hoover's economic policies to confronting the political bosses of New Jersey to ensure a sound government for the state, Johnson was known as a man of strong and often unpredictable political beliefs. A self-professed "conservative liberal," he was once offered the United States Senate nominations for both the Republican and Democratic parties in the same year.

During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Johnson an Army general and put him in charge of bringing small business into the war effort. Armed with a keen intellect and a ready wit, General Johnson engaged in many battles with the bureaucrats in Washington, a city he described as a "mecca for mediocrity."

A person of endless ideas, Johnson was also a prolific writer whose by-line appeared often at mid-century in The Saturday Evening Post and other leading magazines of the day. His views frequently sparked controversy, but he was highly respected for shedding new light on a variety of subjects. Fiercely patriotic, Johnson wrote the widely acclaimed book Or Forfeit Freedom, which warned American corporations to start taking seriously the needs of workers or face a growing threat from socialists and communists. He also rallied a group of the nation's leaders and took the lead in writing with them "Human Relations in Modern Business," a document the Harvard Business Review described as a "Magna Carta for management and worker." Its guidelines were used to resolve labor tensions during the turbulent years after World War II.

Johnson's penchant for adventure saw him racing sailing yachts in turbulent seas and piloting flimsy planes in the pioneer days of aviation. A dashing figure in Manhattan's night life, he pursued and married beautiful women and dealt with a sometimes difficult personal life, all of which is detailed in the book.

Author Larry Foster joined Johnson & Johnson in 1957 to help form its first public relations department, which he eventually headed as Corporate Vice President. A trustee of The Robert Wood Foundation since 1986, he is also the author of A Company That Cares, the history of Johnson & Johnson.

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON: The Gentleman Rebel by Lawrence G. Foster may be ordered for $30 (plus $6 shipping and handling) by contacting Lillian Press, c/o Book Masters, P.O. Box 388, Ashland, OH 44805. It may also be purchased by calling 888/RWJ-BIOG (888/795-2464), faxing 419/281-6883 or visiting www.RWJohnsonBiog.com.