Biography.guide
Home › People › Erle Johnston
Portrait of Erle Johnston

Erle Johnston

1917 – 1995

Public figure in Mississippi

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Erle Johnston

Lived 1917 – 1995 (aged 77).

Erle Ennis Johnston Jr. (October 10, 1917 – September 26, 1995) was an American public official, newspaperman, author, and mayor in Mississippi. He was campaign associate for Ross Barnett and wrote a biography of the segregationist governor. In 1960, Barnett appointed him public relations director of the pro-segregation Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. Johnston became its executive director and continued to hold the public relations duties. He held the position under Governor Paul B. Johnson Jr. before resigning in 1968. He worked at The Scott County Times newspaper, before buying it. Johnston was mayor of Forest, Mississippi, from 1981 to 1985. He attended Grenada High School in Grenada, Mississippi.

In May 1962, Johnson gave a commencement speech at his former high school, Grenada High School, titled "The Practical Way to Maintain a Separate School System in Mississippi" in which he criticized the "extremism" of the NAACP and Citizens Councils. The University of Southern Mississippi has a collection of his papers.

Johnston died September 26, 1995, from heart failure while in hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Education
Grenada High School

People in Erle Johnston's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Erle Johnston's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Erle Johnston?

public figure in Mississippi

When was Erle Johnston born?

Erle Johnston was born on 10 October 1917.

When did Erle Johnston die?

Erle Johnston died on 26 September 1995.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Erle Johnston

· Wikidata: Q23822308

· DBpedia: Erle Johnston

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Erle Johnston. https://biography.guide/erle-johnston/

MLA: "Erle Johnston." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/erle-johnston/.

Chicago: "Erle Johnston." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/erle-johnston/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:03 UTC