Who

Heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, Robert Wood Johnson IV is the fat checkbook behind the New York Jets.

Backstory

The great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, who co-founded the pharmaceuticals behemoth Johnson & Johnson, Woody was still in high school when his grandfather fired his father. But young Woody decided against going into the family business; instead, he took his share of the family fortune and settled in Florida, investing in cable businesses and real estate deals in the 1970s. His years down south weren't without controversy: A series of messy lawsuits unfolded and he endured an acrimonious split with his business partner. Johnson moved to New York in 1984, shortly after marrying his first wife, and set up a firm to manage his fortune as well as handle investments for other members of the Johnson family. He became increasingly active in philanthropy in the '90s, and moved into the sports business in 2000 when he purchased the Jets for $635 million from the estate of long-time owner Leon Hess.

Of note

The Jets are known for having one of the worst stadium deals in all of the NFL, paying 15% of game receipts for rent—as opposed to the 10% most NFC teams pay—and pocketing only a small portion of the revenues derived from luxury suites and signs, with the bulk of those revenues going to the Giants (with whom the Jets share their stadium) and New Jersey. The Jets earn so little revenue from Giants Stadium, in fact, that Johnson has reportedly lost millions every year he's owned the team. Largely for this reason, he made a vigorous push to build a new Jets stadium on the far West Side in 2004, acquiring allies like Michael Bloomberg and then-deputy mayor Dan Doctoroff in the process. Concerned about the competitive threat a new stadium posed, Madison Square Garden owners Chuck Dolan and Jim Dolan ultimately succeeded in sabotaging the plan. Johnson made other arrangements, and in 2007 he sealed a deal to construct a $1.3 billion, 82,500-seat joint stadium with the Giants in the Meadowlands.

Pet cause

Johnson has long been a prominent philanthropist. He founded the Alliance for Lupus Research (one of his daughters has lupus) and is a major force behind the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (another daughter has diabetes). He's also on the board of trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an organization that funds medical research and various health care initiatives.

Campaign trail

A longtime ally of George Bush, Johnson was a "Pioneer" during the former president's 2000 campaign and a "Ranger" in 2004. Over the years, he's also made donations to a long list of other Republicans, including George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani.

Personal

With his ex-wife, Sale Johnson, Woody has three daughters: Daisy, Jaime and Casey. He also has two sons with his fiancée Suzanne Ircha, a former "actress/investment banker." Although Woody's on the board at 834 Fifth, he and Suzanne have been spending most of their time at their 49th-floor penthouse at Trump International as of late. They also own a home in East Hampton.

Family ties

The Johnson clan has seen more than its share of turmoil over the years. In the span of just a few months in 1975, Johnson lost his brother Keith to a cocaine overdose and his brother Billy to a motorcycle accident. Less tragically, Johnson's daughter Casey and his sister Libet currently aren't on speaking terms after Libet reportedly stole Casey's boyfriend, music producer John Dee. Woody is uncle to Born Rich filmmaker Jamie Johnson.