Edward Johnson III

Description

Appearance: Old Boston money, tailored quietly. The kind of man whose suit costs more than most people's rent and who dresses to avoid drawing attention to the fact.

Personality: Not observed on-screen. Known by reputation through Lee's investigation — disciplined, high-status, cautious, well-staffed.

Voice / Mannerisms: Not established.

Background

Edward Johnson III is the chairman of Fidelity Investments, one of the largest privately-held financial firms in Boston. Old Boston Brahmin lineage, Harvard pedigree, Beacon Hill address. His wife, Elizabeth "Lilly" Johnson, is a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Winterthur Museum.

In late October of 1986, Edward and Elizabeth were staying at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston — the same hotel where Jacques had his presidential suite and where Lee was crashing for ten days.

Session 02 — Lee's First Mark

During the 10-day downtime, Lee lifted a housekeeping uniform and identified Edward and Elizabeth as his first mark. Edward was publicly known enough that a standard investigation surfaced his full identity: Edward Johnson III, chairman of Fidelity Investments, and his wife, Elizabeth "Lilly" Johnson, trustee of the MFA and the Winterthur Museum.

Entering their suite during the day while they were out, Lee inspected Elizabeth's purse and took one item — a security keycard for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A $150 pearl necklace he left behind on the grounds that its engraved initials would make it impossible to fence cleanly.

Edward is unaware he was burgled. The Johnsons left the Park Plaza on their scheduled timeline; the missing MFA keycard has not yet been reported.

Connections

Real-World Note

Edward C. "Ned" Johnson III was a real public figure — chairman of Fidelity Investments from 1977 to 2014. This campaign uses him as an NPC in the 1986 Boston setting.