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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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honor and commemorate the life of Eddie Bernice Johnson, who died |
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on December 31, 2023, at the age of 89; and |
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WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson was born on December 3, |
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1934, in Waco; a graduate of A. J. Moore High School, she studied |
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nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a |
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nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's |
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degree in public administration from Southern Methodist |
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University; and |
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WHEREAS, Upon moving to Dallas in the late 1950s, she |
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experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to |
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inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on |
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to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to |
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transform the city and improved the lives of people across the |
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nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her career as a chief |
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psychiatric nurse, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman |
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elected to represent Dallas County in the Texas House of |
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Representatives, where she earned a reputation as a champion for |
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women and children and was admired for her bipartisan and |
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no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a |
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regional director of the United States Department of Health, |
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Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after a |
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period of time with the federal government and in the private |
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sector, she returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first |
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Black person since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the |
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Texas Senate; she brought her state service to a close in 1992, |
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when she was elected to the United States Congress; and |
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WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson led many committees and |
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subcommittees that effected progress in such areas as human |
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rights, STEM education, transportation, environmental policy, |
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and foreign relations; widely recognized as one of the most |
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effective legislators in Congress, she was responsible for |
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authoring and co-authoring more than 175 enacted bills; and |
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WHEREAS, Her distinguished career in public service |
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included 15 terms of leadership representing the 30th |
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Congressional District of Texas, and she continued serving her |
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Dallas community while tirelessly supporting human rights in the |
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United States and around the globe; an esteemed Democratic leader |
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and a woman of great courage and strength, Eddie Bernice Johnson |
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was a devoted mother to her son, Kirk Johnson, whom she raised by |
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loving example; she was a proud grandmother to her three |
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grandsons and to her great-grandchildren, who all enriched her |
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life immeasurably; and |
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WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson's extraordinary leadership |
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and dedication to public service will long be remembered by the |
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people of the Lone Star State and by citizens and leaders |
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throughout our great nation; her remarkable life and her |
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outstanding achievements are a source of inspiration to |
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countless people, and her enduring legacy is a shining example to |
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current and future generations; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th |
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Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Eddie Bernice |
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Johnson; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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her family and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in |
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memory of Eddie Bernice Johnson. |