SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116
In Memory
of
Eddie Bernice Johnson
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
honor and commemorate the life of Eddie Bernice Johnson, who died
on December 31, 2023, at the age of 89; and
WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson was born on December 3,
1934, in Waco; a graduate of A. J. Moore High School, she studied
nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a
nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's
degree in public administration from Southern Methodist
University; and
WHEREAS, Upon moving to Dallas in the late 1950s, she
experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to
inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on
to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to
transform the city and improved the lives of people across the
nation; and
WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her career as a chief
psychiatric nurse, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman
elected to represent Dallas County in the Texas House of
Representatives, where she earned a reputation as a champion for
women and children and was admired for her bipartisan and
no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and
WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a
regional director of the United States Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after a
period of time with the federal government and in the private
sector, she returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first
Black person since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the
Texas Senate; she brought her state service to a close in 1992,
when she was elected to the United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson led many committees and
subcommittees that effected progress in such areas as human
rights, STEM education, transportation, environmental policy,
and foreign relations; widely recognized as one of the most
effective legislators in Congress, she was responsible for
authoring and co-authoring more than 175 enacted bills; and
WHEREAS, Her distinguished career in public service
included 15 terms of leadership representing the 30th
Congressional District of Texas, and she continued serving her
Dallas community while tirelessly supporting human rights in
the United States and around the globe; an esteemed Democratic
leader and a woman of great courage and strength, Eddie Bernice
Johnson was a devoted mother to her son, Kirk Johnson, whom she
raised by loving example; she was a proud grandmother to her
three grandsons and to her great-grandchildren, who all
enriched her life immeasurably; and
WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson's extraordinary leadership
and dedication to public service will long be remembered by the
people of the Lone Star State and by citizens and leaders
throughout our great nation; her remarkable life and her
outstanding achievements are a source of inspiration to
countless people, and her enduring legacy is a shining example to
current and future generations; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Eddie Bernice
Johnson; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
her family and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
memory of Eddie Bernice Johnson.
West
Alvarado Eckhardt Miles Alvarado Eckhardt Miles
Alvarado Eckhardt Miles
Cook Gutierrez Paxton Cook Gutierrez Paxton
Cook Gutierrez Paxton
Hinojosa of Hidalgo Hinojosa of Hidalgo
Hinojosa of Hidalgo
Patrick, President of the Senate
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 18, 2025,
by a rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate
Alvarado Eckhardt Miles
Cook Gutierrez Paxton
Hinojosa of Hidalgo