Willis Johnson

Willis Johnson
Born
Willis J. Johnson

1947 (age 77–78)
Oklahoma, U.S.
Known forFounder of Copart Inc.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJoyce Johnson
Children3
RelativesJay Adair (son-in-law), Jake McCalmon (grandson)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Battles / warsVietnam War
AwardsPurple Heart

Willis J. Johnson (born 1947) is an American billionaire businessman.[1] He is the founder and former chief executive of Copart, a vehicle salvage and auction company, founded in 1982.[2][3]

Biography

Born in 1947, Johnson grew up on a dairy farm in the vicinity of Siloam Springs, Arkansas.[4] He received his early education from a high school in California.[1] Johnson then joined the Army and served a year-long tour in Vietnam which earned him a Purple Heart. In 1972, he bought his own junkyard in Sacramento, California,[4] and moved his family into a trailer to fund his purchase.[1] He took Copart public in 1994.[4] He launched an online bidding platform for wrecked cars in 1998[1] (or 2002[4]).

Willis Johnson retired from his position of CEO of Copart in 2010 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[4]

In 2015, he co-founded now defunct on-demand household chore app, Takl.[4] July 2021.

Political contributions

Johnson is politically conservative and supports the Republican Party.[1] Since 2001, he has contributed at least $1.5 million to different conservative causes.[1]

In 2019, he contributed $50,000 to the Trump Victory Committee, a political action committee.[1] Together with his spouse, Johnson contributed a total of $700,000 to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.[5]

In 2021, he donated $1 million to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to fund a National Guard deployment to the Texas/Mexico border.[6][7]

Assets

In 2010, he bought an 18,600 square foot mansion in Nashville for $28 million from American country singer Alan Jackson.[1][8]

Johnson also owns a 79-acre vineyard in Suisun Valley, California.[8]

Publications

  • Johnson, Willis (2015). Junk to Gold: From Salvage to the World's Largest Online Auto Auction. Westbow Press. ISBN 978-1490816579.

Personal life

Johnson is married to Joyce, whom he married after returning from the Vietnam War.[4] Johnson is a practising Christian.[4]

Johnson resides in Franklin, Tenn., and owns a large collection of classic cars, including a 1955 Chevrolet.[9]

His son-in-law, Jay Adair, is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Copart, and owns shares in the company worth more than $800 million.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vickers, Emma (19 November 2019). "This man is a junkyard billionaire". Bloomberg.com.
  2. ^ Dellaverson, Carlo (April 23, 2008). "On the Line: Copart CEO Willis Johnson". CNBC.
  3. ^ "Turning rust into gold". Bloomberg.com. 10 June 2002.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h McGee, Jamie. "Franklin businessman shifts to on-demand tech with Takl". The Tennessean.
  5. ^ "Here Are The Billionaires Who Donated To Donald Trump's 2020 Presidential Campaign". Forbes. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Pentagon, National Guard Silent on Whether Troops Are for Hire After GOP Billionaire Funds Border Mission". Steve Beynon. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Billionaire GOP Donor Bankrolls National Guard Border Deployment". WJ Hennigan. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Country star's palace sells for $28M". Nashville Post. June 2010.
  9. ^ "Willis Johnson". Forbes.


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