Former United States House Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) has died. She was 88 years old.
Johnson’s death was announced Sunday in a post on Facebook by her son. “I am heartbroken to share the news that my mother, Eddie Bernice Johnson, has passed away,” Dawrence Kirk Johnson said. “She was a remarkable and loving mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great grandmother, as well as a trailblazer and public servant.”
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES KAMALA HARRIS’S AGENDA FOR NATIONWIDE TOUR IN 2024
The Texas Tribune called Johnson a towering Dallas political figure. She was a nurse, state legislator, and a congresswoman, and she was dean of the Texas Congressional delegation before retiring in 2022, according to the Tribune.
The Tribune reported she was the first Black woman to be elected to any seat in Dallas.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he was in mourning following the news.
“I join the people of Texas and the entire House Democratic Caucus family in mourning the loss of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson,” he said in a press release. “Affectionately known to many as EBJ, Congresswoman Johnson was a trailblazing icon, transformational public servant and legendary member of the Congressional Black Caucus.”
“As the first woman and person of color to serve as Chair of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology in the U.S. House of Representatives, Eddie Bernice Johnson’s life was defined by breaking boundaries,” Jeffries continued.
“Born and raised in Jim Crow Texas, she left her hometown of Waco and went North to Indiana, motivated by her drive to enter the medical field and in search of an opportunity to learn free of racial segregation. In 1992, she became the first registered nurse in the history of the country ever to be elected to the United States House of Representatives and the first African-American to serve in Congress from North Texas,” Jeffries said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) released a statement as well.
“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Eddie Bernice Johnson,” he said. “We worked side by side for years and I was proud to call her a friend in addition to a colleague. She was a trailblazer in every sense of the word and I was continually impressed by her dedication to public service.”
