Zachary Taylor Johnson (1897–1981) was born June 18, 1897, in Athens, Georgia, to a farmer's family. While working as a printer for the Macon News in 1913, Johnson converted to Christianity and felt called of God to preach. He entered Asbury University in September 1913 and transferred to Trevecca College in 1914. Johnson served as mayor of Wilmore, Kentucky from 1970 to 1972. He died on May 30, 1981, in Lexington, Kentucky, at the age of 83.