An emissary in foreign affairs, a renowned Government minister, and highly respected for his business acumen, Ambassador the Honourable Anthony Johnson, OJ, who was born on June 14, 1938 in St. Andrew, contributed overall 27 years of service to Jamaica.
After being recruited from his role as the second Executive Director of the PSOJ, Ambassador Johnson joined the JLP in 1980 and was appointed to the Senate. He left the Senate in 1983 to enter representational politics, becoming Member of Parliament for St. Catherine North Eastern in 1983, a post he held for 10 years. He was again appointed to the Senate in 1993, where he served for 14 years while lecturing part time at the UWI.
Throughout his political career, Ambassador Johnson had various portfolio responsibilities including, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (1980-1984), Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture (1984-1989) and Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate (2002-2007). He was the first Jamaican Council member of Parliamentarians for Global Action.
Ambassador Johnson also served as Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States where he spearheaded various initiatives including the establishment of the Marcus Garvey Lecture Hall of Culture at the OAS Headquarters. He later also served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, with concurrent accreditation as non-resident Ambassador to Ireland, the Republic of Finland, and the Kingdoms of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
In 2016, he was appointed a member of the Order of Jamaica for distinguished national Service in the Public and Private Sector and for contribution to the Jamaican Foreign Service.