Johnson was educated at the University of Toronto schools and then obtained scholarships to the University of Toronto, where he studied law and economics. According to W. Max Corden in the Oxford Dictionary of Biography, it was at this time that he "developed an interest in the history of thought and was much influenced by Harold Innis's lectures and ideas on Canadian and generalized economic history."
Johnson studied at the University of Toronto, where he received scholarships for law and economics. According to W. Max Corden in the Oxford Dictionary of Biography, it was during this time that he "became interested in intellectual history and was greatly influenced by Harold Innis's lectures on Canadian and generalized economic history."