George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award
Charles B. Johnson has applied his economics studies at Yale to the investment and securities business for over half a century. A varsity football player, Johnson spent three years in the U.S. Army before joining Franklin Distributors, Inc., as a president and CEO in 1975. He retained those positions with Franklin Resources when that firm was organized in 1969, serving as CEO until 2003. He remains chairman and director of Franklin Resources and of various Franklin Templeton funds.Â
Recognized for his industry leadership by his peers, Johnson was elected chairman of the National Association of Security Dealers in 1992. He served on committees and boards of NASD from 1988 to 2002, and on the board of governors of the Investment Company Institute from 1973 to 1988.
A board member of the Bay Area Council and other civic organizations, he has served as Northern California Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee and on the boards of the San Francisco Symphony and the Peninsula Community Foundation. Johnson helped spearhead the efforts of his class to restore the Yale Bowl as that landmark approaches its centennial.
