Trailblazing longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a nurse from Texas who helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region's most powerful Democrat, died Sunday. She was 89.
President Joe Biden, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, and many other leaders issued statements about her death after her son posted about it on Facebook. The Dallas Morning News also confirmed her death with an unnamed source close to the family. No cause of death was given.
Biden hailed her "immense courage" and called her "an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure."
"She was the single most effective legislator Dallas has ever had," the mayor said in a statement. "Nobody brought more federal infrastructure money home to our city. Nobody fought harder for our communities and our residents' interests and safety. And nobody knew how to navigate Washington better for the people of Dallas."
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Eddie Bernice Johnson served in the House for three decades after becoming the first registered nurse elected to Congress and the first Black chief psychiatric nurse at Dallas' Veterans Affairs hospital. She went on to become the first Black woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and she also led the Congressional Black Caucus. She left office in January after repeatedly delaying her retirement. Before Congress, she served in the Texas legislature.
"For three decades, Chairwoman Johnson was a powerful force in the United States Congress, always focused on the future," House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said in a statement, praising Johnson as "a tenacious trailblazer, a talented legislator and a devoted public servant."
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"Congresswoman Johnson had a reputation as a stateswoman who worked with both parties to get things done," Johnson's family said in a statement released Sunday night. "She was recognized as one of the most effective legislators in congress, credited with authoring and co-authoring more than 300 bills passed by the House and Senate and signed into law, including the historic CHIPS and Science act."
Johnson used her committee leadership position to fight against Republican efforts to block action on climate change. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford said Johnson was also "a fierce advocate for expanding STEM opportunities to Black and minority students" who also played a key role in helping the Biden administration pass a major package of incentives for computer chip manufacturers.
She was born in Waco and grew up in the segregated South. Dallas' once-segregated Union Station was renamed in her honor in 2019.
African-American women had not been involved that much in electoral politics. As a matter of fact I learned several years later from one of the researchers at the University of Texas that I was the first African-American woman to run and win any office in Dallas I didn't even realize that.
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Her own experience with racism helped spur her to get involved in politics. She recalled that officials at the VA hospital were shocked that she was Black after they hired her sight-unseen, so they rescinded their offer for her to live in a dorm on campus. She told The Dallas Morning News in 2020 that officials would go into patients' rooms ahead of her to "say that I was qualified."
"That was really the most blatant, overt racism that I ever experienced in my life," she told the newspaper.
Johnson nearly quit but decided to stick with it.
"It was very challenging," she said. "But any job where you're an African American woman entering for the first time would be a challenge. They had not hired one before I got there. Yes, it was a challenge, but it was a successful venture."
Johnson announced her retirement in 2021 and officially left office in January 2023.
Texas State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) filled the seat Johnson held in the Texas Legislature before her election to Congress in 1992 and was able to see her before her passing.
"I had the opportunity to visit with Eddie this past Friday. I'm grateful that her family called and allowed me to visit with her prior to her passing," said West.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett remembers Johnson as a giant. Johnson threw her support behind Crockett and asked her to take over her seat in Congress. Crockett says she will continue her legacy.
"It's my job to honor that legacy every single day," said Crockett.
JOHNSON REMEMBERED FOR HER SERVICE TO NORTH TEXAS
Throughout her career in public service, Johnson worked tirelessly for Dallas County and North Texas.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins praised her effectiveness in Congress in bringing federal funding to North Texas.
"Congresswoman Johnson was a groundbreaking leader for this country and for our state and city, and there really are no words to express my profound sense of grief and loss at the passing of this legendary American," said Jenkins.
Congressman Colin Allred remembered Johnson as a leader, friend and mentor.
“Eddie Bernice Johnson was a trailblazer, a leader, a friend and my mentor. Unrivaled in her ability to deliver for Dallas and for Texas, she always put Texans first and fought every day for her constituents," Allred said. "I would not be here today if it weren’t for Congresswoman Johnson and the doors she opened for a new generation of Texans in public service."
JOHNSON REMEMBERED AS MENTOR WHO OFFERED SAGE ADVICE
Many NBC 5 spoke to expressed their sorrow that they no longer have her as a leader and mentor.
"In Eddie Bernice Johnson - you had a great person, a great mentor, teacher, great family leader and exceptional, extraordinary leader in Congress," said Jenkins.
State Representative Carl Sherman of DeSoto said as a young politician he called on her for advice and remembered her strong words of wisdom.
"Pace yourself because, at the end of the day, you got to last. That was something I think she leaves as a legacy that she was determined. She had tenacity. But she also had a certain cadence about getting things done," said Sherman.
Former Dallas Mayor Ronald Kirk knew Johnson from the time he was a teenager and considered her an adopted mother. He recalled the tenacity of the woman who was born during segregation but decided to dedicate her life to improving the Lone Star State.
"She was integral to our efforts to get DART off the ground, and to expand DFW Airport," Kirk told NBC5. "And to keep investments in transportation, healthcare, and so many other things big and small."
Others said they would miss being able to turn to her for her advice.
"She was not ashamed or bashful in providing, how shall I say it, constructive criticism when she thought it necessary," said West.
Dallas City Councilmember Carolyn King Arnold praised Johnson's decades of service.
"Just waking up on this last day of the year, to get sad news this morning, is definitely painful," said King Arnold. "I definitely will miss that opportunity to work with her and get those words of advice."
Friendship West Baptist Church pastor Frederick Haynes said Johnson consistently brought cutting-edge improvements in tech to the South Dallas community.
"When you look at many of the accomplishments that have taken place since the 80s as a result of funding that came federally from Congress, it has Eddie Bernice Johnson’s fingerprints all over it," Haynes said.
While others pointed out, there is no doubt her legacy lives on.
"Her work will continue and that's the beauty of it. It does not die with her. The legacy continues, no matter who carries the mantle," said Elite News publisher Darryl Blair.
Johnson's family said funeral arrangements have not been set yet. Anyone wishing to send condolences to the family can do so at EBJMemorialService@gmail.com.
