Dr. Fred L. Johnson III is Associate Professor of History at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Prior to his career in higher education, Dr. Johnson served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as a Communications-Electronics Officer. He subsequently also served as an Infantry Officer in the Marine Reserves. In the private sector he worked as a Production Scheduler for Packard – Electric Division of General Motors, an Operations Specialist for Contel Page Telecommunications, and as a Corporate Trainer for Aircraft Braking Systems (formerly Goodyear Aerospace) in Akron, Ohio.A graduate of Bowie State College (now University) Bowie, Maryland, Dr. Johnson earned his Masters and doctorate degrees at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. His primary field of study is 19th Century U.S. History, specifically, the Civil War. His other areas of expertise include: 20th Century U.S., U.S. Military, and Africa. He coauthored the biography Tupac Shakur: the Life and Times of an American Icon (DeCapo Press, January 2010), and is currently completing research for the book: America’s Blind Spot: U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa, 1945 –present.
Dr. Johnson has also developed a solid reputation as a novelist. His novels include: Bittersweet,One World/Random House, January 2002; A Man Finds His Way, One World/Random House, 2003; and Other Men’s Wives, One World/Random House, 2005. He is also at work on other projects including a collection of essays entitled While Black People Were Sleeping.
In 2002, Dr. Johnson was selected by the Hope College student body to receive the Hope Favorite Professor Award. In 2003, the Hope senior class selected him to deliver the commencement address. In 2005, Dr. Johnson was voted by the Hope graduating class to receive the H.O.P.E. (Hope Outstanding Professor Educator) award. Dr. Johnson has also earned acclaim as an award winning speaker in the Toastmasters organization. In 2007, 2008, and2010 he advanced to the semifinal rounds of the World Series of Public Speaking competition.
In 2008, Dr. Johnson ran for U.S. House of Representatives as the Democratic nominee forMichigan’s 2nd Congressional District. In September 2009, he announced that he was once more running for Congress and in 2010 he has been busy campaigning.