Johnson Mrs. Clark

Mary Johnson,45 a graduate of Newnham, became one of the first women researchers in the Cambridge Chemistry Laboratories. Born on 14 January 1895, Johnson was educated at Bede College School, Sunderland. She had actually wanted to read mathematics at Newnham when she entered in 1913, but inadequate preparation at school resulted in a change of plans and she took chemistry instead. When she completed the Part II of the Natural Science Tripos in 1917, she placed above all of the men in her year. 

Again according to family history, Clark, who was running a research laboratory for Imperial Chemical Industries at the beginning of the Second World War, was quoted as saying that since she was a better chemist than he was, he would have her in his laboratory like a shot, if it wasn t for the children. 45 Later in the war, she briefly taught chemistry at Howell s School in North Wales. Unfortunately, Johnson had a massive stroke in 1945 that severely incapacitated her until her death on 26 April 1969. 

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