Johnson earned a degree in law from the
University of Michigan and practiced law briefly before going into business with his brothers. His first son, Ted, was born in 1888 with a
congenital heart defect and feeding problems. In 1895, Johnson developed a side business,
The American Ferment Company, to create a digestive aid. In 1897, E. Mead Johnson left the existing family business to go into business on his own in
Jersey City, New Jersey, and in 1905, his side business was re-established as
Mead Johnson & Company. The firm's first major
infant formula was developed in 1910, and
Dextri-Maltose, a carbohydrate-based milk modifier was introduced in 1911, making it the first American product for infants to be approved
clinically and recommended by
physicians. The creation of Dextri-Maltose was provoked by problems experienced feeding his first son as an infant, which became life-threatening. The firm moved to
Evansville, Indiana, in 1915, as part of an effort to have easier access to the raw agricultural ingredients that were needed for its products. The relocation required Johnson to build a series of new plants and factories to replace the facilities he had left behind in New Jersey. Another son, Lambert, succeeded him as president of Mead Johnson following his death and served in the position until 1955, making him the longest-serving president in the history of the company. His home at Evansville, the
Bernardin-Johnson House, was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1989. ==References==