Edward "Ed" L. Johnson, a longtime executive editor of The Gainesville (Florida) Sun for more than two decades who oversaw the newspaper during its two Pulitzer Prize wins, died April 23 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 92.
Johnson took over as executive editor of The Gainesville Sun in 1962 when it was owned by Cowles Communications. He continued in the position after The Sun was sold to The New York Times in 1971, with the added responsibility of coordinating the Times' Regional Newspaper Group, which at the time consisted of 35 daily and weekly newspapers.
He left The Sun in 1984 — his last 18 months also serving as publisher — after being appointed the Times' newspaper group's senior editor and moved to Tallahassee. He retired in 1995.
