The story of Northrop & Johnson began in New York City, New York, in 1949 when two yachtsmen — Jim Northrop and George Johnson — came together to provide quality yacht brokerage service to their close circle of yachting companions on Long Island Sound. They opened the doors to their first office on Madison Avenue in Manhattan and thus began the brand’s true-blue “Yankee” heritage, which is reflected in the company’s reputation for honesty, integrity, and fair play. This penchant for reliability, fairness and decency earned the brokers of Northrop & Johnson and so, too, the brand a reputation as “Gentlemen Brokers.” This sterling repute quickly spread throughout the tight-knit yachting community of New York and beyond. 

By the early 1960s, Northrop & Johnson had expanded with branch offices in Stamford, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; and Marblehead, Massachusetts. 

In 1971, Northrop & Johnson opened the first US- affiliated yacht brokerage office in Europe, which was based in Cannes, France. During the 1970s and 1980s, Northrop & Johnson enjoyed further expansion that solidified its status as the premier large yacht brokerage in the United States. Today, Northrop & Johnson is a household name within the yachting community and is revered as one of the industry’s top yacht brokerages around the world. 

Northrop & Johnson has offices in every major yachting hub around the world and offices across four continents. Building upon more than eight decades of success and longevity, Northrop & Johnson promises clients the absolute pinnacle of service and reliability within the yachting industry and beyond.