Eddie Bernice Johnson

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Eddie Bernice Johnson

|image = Eddie Bernice Johnson Official portrait 107th Congress.jpg

|caption = Official portrait, 2005

|office = Chair of the House Science Committee

|term_start = January 3, 2019

|term_end = January 3, 2023

|predecessor = Lamar Smith

|successor = Frank Lucas

|state1 = Texas

|district1 = {{ushr|TX|30|30th}}

|term_start1 = January 3, 1993

|term_end1 = January 3, 2023

|predecessor1 = Constituency established

|successor1 = Jasmine Crockett

|state_senate2 = Texas

|district2 = 23rd

|term_start2 = January 13, 1987

|term_end2 = January 3, 1993

|predecessor2 = Oscar Mauzy

|successor2 = Royce West

|state_house3 = Texas

|district3 = 33rd

|term_start3 = January 9, 1973

|term_end3 = September 30, 1977

|predecessor3 = Constituency established

|successor3 = Lanell Cofer

|birth_date = {{birth date|1934|12|3}}

|birth_place = Waco, Texas, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|2023|12|31|1934|12|3}}

|death_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

|resting_place=Texas State Cemetery
Austin, Texas

|party = Democratic

|spouse = {{marriage|Lacey Johnson|1956|1970|end=div}}

|children = 1

|education = St Mary's College, Indiana
Texas Christian University (BS)
{{nowrap|Southern Methodist University}} (MPA)

|module = {{Listen

|pos = center

|embed = yes

|filename = Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson Speaks on World Refugee Day.ogg

|title = Johnson's voice

|type = speech

|description = Johnson speaks on World Refugee Day
Recorded June 20, 2002}}

}}

Eddie Bernice Johnson (December 3, 1934 – December 31, 2023) was an American politician who represented Texas's {{ushr|Texas|30|30th congressional district}} in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2023. Johnson was a member of the Democratic Party.

Johnson was elected to the House in 1992, becoming the first registered nurse in Congress. At the swearing-in of the 116th United States Congress, she became dean of Texas's congressional delegation. Upon Representative Don Young's death in March 2022, Johnson became the oldest member of the House of Representatives. She retired at the end of the 117th Congress.{{Cite web|title=Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson says she'll run for one final term|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2019/10/09/texas-democrat-eddie-bernice-johnson-says-shell-run-for-one-final-term/|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Roll Call|date=October 9, 2019|language=en|archive-date=July 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705224745/https://rollcall.com/2019/10/09/texas-democrat-eddie-bernice-johnson-says-shell-run-for-one-final-term/|url-status=live}}

Johnson also served in the Texas House of Representatives, where she was elected in 1972 in a landslide, the first black woman to win electoral office from Dallas. She also served three terms in the Texas Senate.

Early life, education, and medical career

Eddie Bernice Johnson was born in Waco, Texas, on December 3, 1934,{{cite web|url = https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/J000126|title = JOHNSON, Eddie Bernice|website = Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|accessdate = January 3, 2024}}{{cite web|title=Eddie Bernice Johnson, who broke barriers, represented Dallas in long House career, dies|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2023/12/31/eddie-bernice-johnson-who-broke-barriers-represented-dallas-in-long-house-career-dies/|last1=Benning|first1=Tom|last2=Jeffers|first2=Gromer Jr.|last3=Prosser|first3=Maggie|publisher=Dallas Morning News|date=December 31, 2023|access-date=January 3, 2024}}{{cite news|title=Eddie Bernice Johnson December 3, 1934 — December 31, 2023|url=https://www.goldengatefuneralhome.com/obituaries/eddie-bernice-johnson|publisher=Golden Gate Funeral Home|access-date=January 3, 2024}}{{cite news|title=Eddie Bernice Johnson, trailblazing Texan in U.S. House, dies at 89|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/01/02/eddie-bernice-johnson-dead/|date=January 2, 2024|last=Smith|first=Harrison|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=January 3, 2024|quote=Many sources, including her official congressional biography, say that she was born a year later, but her son told the Morning News after her death that she had been born in 1934. That year is also given in her voter-registration files.}} to Edward Johnson, a tailor, and Lillie Mae White Johnson, a homemaker.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/us/politics/eddie-bernice-johnson-dead.html|title = Eddie Bernice Johnson, Trailblazer in Congress and Beyond, Dies at 89|last = Roberts|first = Sam|authorlink = Sam Roberts (journalist)|date = January 3, 2024|accessdate = January 3, 2024|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited}} She and her three siblings grew up attending Toliver Chapel Baptist Church, where her mother was an active member. Johnson had aspired to a career in medicine since childhood, and wished to become a doctor, but was told by a high school guidance counselor that this would not be possible because she was female. Johnson graduated from A.J. Moore High School at age 16, and moved to Indiana to attend Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame, where she graduated in 1955 with her nursing certificate.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-eddie-bernice-johnson|title=The Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson's Biography|access-date=May 4, 2021|archive-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504224211/https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-eddie-bernice-johnson|url-status=live}} She transferred to Texas Christian University, from which she received a bachelor's degree in nursing. She later attended Southern Methodist University and earned a Master of Public Administration in 1976.

Johnson was the first African American to serve as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital. She entered politics after 16 years in that position.{{Cite web |title=Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson |url=http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/hon-eddie-bernice-johnson-42 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=The History Makers |archive-date=May 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511113203/http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/hon-eddie-bernice-johnson-42 |url-status=dead }}

Early political career

After passage of civil-rights legislation and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which enabled African Americans in the South to register and vote, more African Americans began to run for office and be elected. Johnson first became known in Dallas as a civil-rights activist in the 1960s.

In 1972, as an underdog candidate running for a seat in the Texas House, Johnson won a landslide victory. She was the first black woman ever elected to public office from Dallas.{{Cite web |title=Johnson, Eddie Bernice (1935- ) |url=http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/johnson-eddie-bernice-1935 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=The Black Past |archive-date=June 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618035735/http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/johnson-eddie-bernice-1935 |url-status=live }} She soon became the first{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} woman in Texas history to lead a major Texas House committee, the Labor Committee.

Johnson left the State House in 1977, when President Jimmy Carter appointed her as the regional director for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the first African-American woman to hold this position.{{Cite news |title=Eddie Bernice Johnson (D) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22368/ |access-date=May 15, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220193255/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22368/ |url-status=live }}

Johnson entered electoral politics again in 1986, when she was elected as a Texas state senator. She was the first black state senator from Dallas since Reconstruction.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=2024-01-03 |title=Eddie Bernice Johnson, Trailblazer in Congress and Beyond, Dies at 89 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/us/politics/eddie-bernice-johnson-dead.html |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Her concerns included health care, education, public housing, racial equity, economic development, and job expansion. Johnson served on the Finance Committee, for which she chaired the subcommittee on Health and Human Services, and the Education Committee. She wrote legislation to regulate diagnostic radiology centers, require drug testing in hospitals, prohibit discrimination against AIDS victims, improve access to health care for AIDS patients, and prohibit hospital kickbacks to doctors. A fair-housing advocate, she sponsored a bill to empower city governments to repair substandard housing at landlords' expense, and wrote a bill to enforce prohibitions against housing discrimination.{{Cite news |date=December 22, 1988 |title=Fair housing bill proposed |work=The Bonham Daily Favorite |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w5M9AAAAIBAJ&pg=6922,6217253&dq=eddie-bernice-johnson+fair+housing&hl=en}}

Johnson worked against racism while dealing with discrimination in the legislature. "Being a woman and being black is perhaps a double handicap," she told the Chicago Tribune. "When you see who's in the important huddles, who's making the important decisions, it's men."{{Cite news |last=Korosec |first=Thomas |date=August 19, 1990 |title=Eyes On Texas: Where Men Are Men And Women Run For Public Office |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/08/19/eyes-on-texas/ |access-date=May 15, 2013 |archive-date=May 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502094407/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-19/features/9003090294_1_lone-star-state-texans-men-and-women/2 |url-status=live }} Johnson sponsored several bills aimed at equity, including a bill to establish goals for Texas to do business with "socially disadvantaged" businesses. She crafted a fair-housing act aimed at toughening fair-housing laws and establishing a commission to investigate complaints of discriminatory housing practices.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Johnson also held committee hearings and investigated complaints. In 1989, she testified in federal court about racism in Dallas's city government. In 1992, she formally asked the Justice Department to investigate harassment of local black students. That same year, she held hearings to examine discrimination charges about unfair contracting bids for the government's Superconducting Super Collider.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Johnson feared the legacy that discrimination leaves for youth. "I am frightened to see young people who believe that a racist power structure is responsible for every negative thing that happens to them," she told the New York Times. "After a point it does not matter whether these perceptions are true or false; it is the perceptions that matter."{{Cite news |last=Suro |first=Roberto |date=September 10, 1989 |title=In Dallas, Race Is at the Heart of City Politics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/weekinreview/in-dallas-race-is-at-the-heart-of-city-politics.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219233708/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/weekinreview/in-dallas-race-is-at-the-heart-of-city-politics.html |archive-date=December 19, 2017 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |work=The New York Times}}

U.S. House of Representatives

=Elections=

Midway through her second term in the state senate, Johnson ran in the Democratic primary for the newly created 30th congressional district. She defeated Republican nominee Lucy Cain 72% to 25% in the 1992 general election, and became the first nurse elected to the United States Congress.{{Cite web |title=TX District 30 Race - Nov 03, 1992 |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28653 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=Our Campaigns |archive-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309053418/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28653 |url-status=live }} In 1994, she defeated Cain again, 73% to 26%.{{Cite web |title=TX District 30 Race - Nov 08, 1994 |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=29146 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=Our Campaigns |archive-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309041618/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=29146 |url-status=live }}

In 1996, after her district was significantly redrawn as a result of Bush v. Vera, she was reelected to a third term with 55% of the vote, the worst election performance of her congressional career. All the candidates in the race appeared on a single ballot regardless of party, and Johnson faced two other Democrats. Proving just how Democratic this district still was, the three Democrats tallied 73% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=TX District 30 Race - Nov 05, 1996 |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30082 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=Our Campaigns |archive-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309053616/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30082 |url-status=live }}

Johnson never faced another contest nearly that close. She was reelected nine more times with at least 72% of the vote. In 2012, Johnson easily beat two opponents in the Democratic primary, State Representative Barbara Mallory Caraway and lawyer Taj Clayton, gaining 70% of the vote; she won the general election with almost 79% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=Elected Officials Directory, US House District 30 |url=http://www.texastribune.org/directory/districts/us-house/30/ |access-date=June 5, 2013 |publisher=Texas Tribune |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502062024/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/districts/us-house/30/ |url-status=live }} She was reelected in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. In October 2019, Johnson announced she would retire in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2019/10/09/texas-democrat-eddie-bernice-johnson-says-shell-run-for-one-final-term/|title=Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson says she'll run for one final term|work=Roll Call|last1=Bowman|first1=Bridget|date=October 9, 2019|access-date=December 16, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705224745/https://rollcall.com/2019/10/09/texas-democrat-eddie-bernice-johnson-says-shell-run-for-one-final-term/|url-status=live}}

=Tenure=

The 17th chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Johnson opposed the Iraq Resolution of 2002. During debate on the House floor, she stated:

I am not convinced that giving the President the authority to launch a unilateral, first-strike attack on Iraq is the appropriate course of action at this time. While I believe that under international law and under the authority of our Constitution, the United States must maintain the option to act in its own self-defense, I strongly believe that the administration has not provided evidence of an imminent threat of attack on the United States that would justify a unilateral strike. I also believe that actions alone, without exhausting peaceful options, could seriously harm global support for our war on terrorism and distract our own resources from this cause.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=E. B. |date=October 8, 2002 |title=Remarks during debate on the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 |url=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/appearance/596122908 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130703205811/http://www.c-spanvideo.org/appearance/596122908 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |publisher=C-SPAN Video Library }}

In 2007, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Jim Oberstar appointed Johnson chair of its Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment during the 110th and 111th Congresses. She was the first African American and first woman in Congress to chair this subcommittee. As Subcommittee Chair, Johnson sponsored the Water Resources Development Act. She led Congress in overriding President Bush's veto of it, the only veto override of his presidency.{{Cite web |title=Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson's Biography |url=http://ebjohnson.house.gov/ebj-bio/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504090910/http://ebjohnson.house.gov/ebj-bio/ |archive-date=May 4, 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |publisher=House.gov}}

During the 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign, Johnson initially supported U.S. Senator John Edwards. After he withdrew from the race, she pledged her support as a superdelegate to Barack Obama. Her district backed Obama heavily in the election.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Johnson and Representative Donna Edwards proposed a publicly funded park on the moon to mark where the Apollo missions landed between 1969 and 1972. The Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act, H.R. 2617, calls for the park to be run jointly by the Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).{{Cite news |last=Kasperowicz |first=Pete |date=July 9, 2013 |title=Dems pitch national park on the moon |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/155592-dems-pitch-national-park-on-the-moon/ |access-date=July 9, 2013 |archive-date=July 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710100049/http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/309829-dems-propose-historical-park-on-the-moon |url-status=live }}

Johnson attended COP26 in 2021 and urged immediate climate action, warning, "Scientists have been sounding the alarm on climate for years" and "Inaction is not an option". "We are working to build a clean energy future while creating high quality jobs, and so much more", she said.{{Cite web|url=https://science.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairwoman-johnson-joins-congressional-delegation-to-united-nations-climate-change-conference-cop26|title=CHAIRWOMAN JOHNSON JOINS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE (COP26)|website=science.house.gov|date=November 10, 2021|access-date=November 11, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111043142/https://science.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairwoman-johnson-joins-congressional-delegation-to-united-nations-climate-change-conference-cop26|url-status=live}}

==Armenian genocide denial==

Johnson consistently opposed the historical consensus on the Armenian genocide. In 2009, when asked if she acknowledged the Armenian genocide, she responded "No, I don't."{{Cite web|url = https://thehill.com/homenews/news/16244-armenian-genocide-debate-reignites/|title = Armenian 'genocide' debate reignites|date = March 11, 2009|access-date = November 20, 2019|archive-date = February 16, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200216083056/https://thehill.com/homenews/news/18702-armenian-genocide-debate-reignites|url-status = live}} In 2017, when interviewed for a film and asked if she denied that the Armenian genocide occurred, Johnson replied "I do deny that."{{Cite web|url = https://massispost.com/2017/05/architects-denial-first-person-account-armenian-genocide/|title = Architects of Denial: First Person Account of the Armenian Genocide • MassisPost|date = May 4, 2017|access-date = November 20, 2019|archive-date = February 16, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200216083139/https://massispost.com/2017/05/architects-denial-first-person-account-armenian-genocide/|url-status = live}}{{Cite web|url=https://programminginsider.com/architects-denial-must-see-validation-armenian-genocide/|title='Architects of Denial': A Must See Validation of the Armenian Genocide|date=September 13, 2017|access-date=November 20, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216082855/https://programminginsider.com/architects-denial-must-see-validation-armenian-genocide/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Amanda Grace |title=Armenian 'genocide' debate reignites |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/16244-armenian-genocide-debate-reignites/ |access-date=22 March 2022 |work=The Hill |date=11 March 2009 |language=en |quote=Bernice Johnson, who circulated a Feb. 25 “Dear Colleague” letter about Schiff’s measure, was asked, “Do you acknowledge that there was a genocide?” Bernice Johnson initially responded, “I don’t acknowledge, I was not around.” Pressed further on whether she acknowledges the genocide, Bernice Johnson said, “No, I don’t.” |archive-date=February 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216083056/https://thehill.com/homenews/news/18702-armenian-genocide-debate-reignites |url-status=live }} In 2019, Johnson was one of three House members to vote "present" on a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide.{{Cite web|url = https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ilhan-omar-faces-blowback-after-voting-present-armenian-genocide-resolution-n1073991|title = Ilhan Omar faces blowback after voting 'present' on Armenian genocide resolution|website = NBC News|date = October 30, 2019|access-date = November 20, 2019|archive-date = November 11, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191111024957/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ilhan-omar-faces-blowback-after-voting-present-armenian-genocide-resolution-n1073991|url-status = live}} The Armenian National Committee of America gave Johnson an F− rating for her voting record during the 117th congress.{{cite web |title=Eddie Bernice Johnson 592 117 |url=https://anca.org/congress/eddie-bernice-johnson-592-117/ |website=Armenian National Committee of America |access-date=22 March 2022 |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228094625/https://anca.org/congress/eddie-bernice-johnson-592-117/ |url-status=live }}

==Presidential election objections==

In 2001, Johnson and other House members objected to counting Florida's electoral votes in the 2000 presidential election. Because no senator joined her objection, it was dismissed by Senate President Al Gore.{{cite web| url = https://www.c-span.org/video/?161423-1/electoral-college-ballot-count| title = Electoral College Ballot Count {{!}} C-SPAN.org| access-date = January 24, 2021| archive-date = January 30, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210130005312/https://www.c-span.org/video/?161423-1/electoral-college-ballot-count| url-status = live}}

In 2005, Johnson was one of 31 House Democrats who voted not to count Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election.{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml|title=Final Vote Results for Role Call 7|date=January 6, 2005|access-date=January 15, 2013|work=Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|archive-date=May 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503021334/http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml|url-status=live}} Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote, in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Johnson voted to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202110?Page=37|title=On Agreeing to the Objection|website=clerk.house.gov|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109050646/https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202110?Page=37|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202111?Page=37|title=On Agreeing to the Objection|website=clerk.house.gov|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109050646/https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202111?Page=37|url-status=live}} Johnson called the 2021 United States Capitol attack "like a real war".{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-congresswoman-eddie-bernice-johnson-recounts-january-6-attack-like-a-real-war/ar-AAMCEV0|title=Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Recounts January 6 Attack: 'Like a Real War'|website=clerk.house.gov|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109050646/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-congresswoman-eddie-bernice-johnson-recounts-january-6-attack-like-a-real-war/ar-AAMCEV0|url-status=live}}

==Scholarship violations==

In August 2010, Amy Goldson, counsel for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, said that Johnson violated organizational rules by awarding at least 15 scholarships to relatives of her own or to children of her district director, Rod Givens. The awards violated an anti-nepotism rule and the recipients did not qualify for the scholarships because they were not residents of Johnson's district. Johnson said she "unknowingly" made a mistake in awarding the grants and would work with the foundation to rectify it.{{Cite web|last1=Gillman|first1=Todd J.|last2=Hoppe|first2=Christy |date=August 30, 2010 |title=Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson violated rules, steered scholarships to relatives |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/08/30/rep-eddie-bernice-johnson-violated-rules-steered-scholarships-to-relatives/ |access-date=January 2, 2024 |work=The Dallas Morning News |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105125403/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/082910dntexcongress.2c049bb.html |url-status=dead }}

Opponent Stephen Broden released letters bearing Johnson's signature in which she requested that the scholarship check be made out to and sent directly to her relatives, instead of to the destination university as would normally be done.{{Cite news |last1=Gillman |first1=Todd J. |first2= Christy|last2= Hoppe |date=September 8, 2010 |title=Letters bearing Eddie Bernice Johnson's signature ask that scholarship money be sent directly to her grandsons |work=The Dallas Morning News |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/09/08/letters-bearing-eddie-bernice-johnson-s-signature-ask-that-scholarship-money-be-sent-directly-to-her-grandsons/|access-date=January 2, 2024|archive-date=November 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106234509/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/090810dntexebj.ce52ce69.html|url-status=dead }} The Dallas Morning News ran an editorial questioning her changing story on the matter, saying that it was overshadowing her service in the House.{{Cite web |date=September 7, 2010 |title=Editorial: Scholarship violations starting to overshadow Johnson's years of service |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2010/09/07/editorial-scholarship-violations-starting-to-overshadow-johnson-s-years-of-service/|access-date=January 2, 2024 |work=The Dallas Morning News |archive-date=December 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212044523/http://www.dallasnews.com:80/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-EBJ_0908edi.State.Edition1.16a6302.html |url-status=dead }}

=Committees=

In December 2010, Johnson became the first African American and the first female Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.{{Cite web |title=Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson |url=http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/rep_eddie_bernice_johnson.html |access-date=May 15, 2013 |website=The Arena |publisher=Politico |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530065602/http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/rep_eddie_bernice_johnson.html |url-status=live }} From 2000 to 2002, she was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. Johnson has been a strong advocate of investing in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. In 2012, she introduced the Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act, which would authorize the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority groups receiving STEM degrees. The bill would also expand the number of faculty members from underrepresented minority groups at colleges and universities.{{Cite news |last=Koebler |first=Jason |date=April 25, 2012 |title=Legislation Would Increase Minority Access to STEM Degrees |work=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/04/25/legislation-would-increase-minority-access-to-stem-degrees |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323230437/https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/04/25/legislation-would-increase-minority-access-to-stem-degrees |url-status=live }}

=Committee assignments=

Committee on Science and Technology (chair)
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittee on Aviation
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment{{Cite web |url=https://clerk.house.gov/members/J000126 |title=Eddie Bernice Johnson Member Profile |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives |website=clerk.house.gov |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318005327/https://clerk.house.gov/members/J000126 |url-status=live }}

=Caucus memberships=

Congressional Arts Caucus{{Cite web |title=Membership |url=https://artscaucus-slaughter.house.gov/membership |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140644/https://artscaucus-slaughter.house.gov/membership |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=March 21, 2018 |publisher=Congressional Arts Caucus}}
Congressional Black Caucus{{Cite web |title=Membership |url=https://cbc.house.gov/membership/ |access-date=March 7, 2018 |publisher=Congressional Black Caucus |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508184742/https://cbc.house.gov/membership/ |url-status=live }}
Congressional Tri Caucus (founder)
LGBT Equality Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus{{Cite web|title=Caucus Members|url=https://progressives.house.gov/caucus-members|access-date=2021-03-29|website=Congressional Progressive Caucus|language=en|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114215407/https://progressives.house.gov/caucus-members|url-status=live}}
Rare Disease Congressional Caucus
Congressional Cement Caucus
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus{{Cite web |title=Members |url=http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus |access-date=June 8, 2018 |publisher=Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142643/http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus |url-status=dead }}
U.S.-Japan Caucus{{Cite web |title=Members |url=https://usjapancaucus-castro.house.gov/members |access-date=December 11, 2018 |publisher=U.S. - Japan Caucus |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427164618/https://usjapancaucus-castro.house.gov/members |url-status=live }}

Personal life and death

Johnson was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and The Links.{{Cite book|last=Graham|first=Lawrence Otis|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/877899803|title=Our kind of people|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins e-Books|isbn=978-0-06-187081-1|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=877899803|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=September 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924221604/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/877899803|url-status=live}}{{Rp|page=105}} In 1956, she married educator Lacey Kirk Johnson. They had one child, a son. The marriage ended in divorce in 1970.

Johnson died in Dallas on December 31, 2023, at the age of 89, shortly after being admitted into hospice care.{{cite web | url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/eddie-bernice-johnson-represented-north-texas-congress-30-years-dies-88/287-95566ab7-118c-4371-81da-6debe2628863 | title=Eddie Bernice Johnson, who represented North Texas in the U.S. Congress for 30 years, dies at 88 | date=December 31, 2023 }}{{cite news |title=Former Long-Time Legislator Passes |url=https://texasmetronews.com/67413/former-long-time-legislator-passes/ |access-date=31 December 2023 |publisher=Texas Metro News |date=31 December 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/31/texas-eddie-bernice-johnson-dies/|title=Former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Black Democratic trailblazer, dies at 88|first1=Abby|last1=Livingston|first2=Pooja|last2=Salhotra|date=December 31, 2023|website=The Texas Tribune}} Three days later, her family announced plans to file a lawsuit against her health-care providers, claiming medical negligence was responsible for her death.{{cite news | url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/01/04/eddie-bernice-johnsons-family-intends-to-sue-baylor-scott-white-alleging-negligence/ | newspaper=Dallas Morning News | title=Eddie Bernice Johnson's family intends to sue Baylor Scott & White, alleging negligence | date=January 3, 2024}} She would be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.{{cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2024/01/10/eddie-bernice-johnson-texas-state-cemetery/|title=Eddie Bernice Johnson laid to rest at Texas State Cemetery|publisher=Dallas Morning News|date=January 10, 2024|accessdate=March 8, 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://www.kvue.com/article/news/state/texas-news/eddie-bernice-johnson-texas-state-cemetery-burial/269-407e5b58-bfb6-4881-bd82-724ab7901ab2|title=Trailblazer Eddie Bernice Johnson laid to rest at Austin's Texas State Cemetery|first=Daranesha|last=Herron|publisher=KVUE|date=January 10, 2024|accessdate=March 8, 2025}}

Legacy

Dallas Independent School District opened an elementary school in Wilmer, Texas, named after Johnson, in 2020.{{cite web|last=Belt|first=Mollie|url=https://dallasexaminer.com/eddie-bernice-johnson-elementary-school-opens-in-wilmer/|title=Eddie Bernice Johnson Elementary School opens in Wilmer|newspaper=Dallas Examiner|date=2020-09-10|accessdate=2022-10-13|archive-date=October 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014030934/https://dallasexaminer.com/eddie-bernice-johnson-elementary-school-opens-in-wilmer/|url-status=live}}

Dallas Union Station is officially known as "Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station" after Johnson.{{Cite news |last=Sarder |first=Sarah |date=April 10, 2019 |title=DART renames downtown Union Station after Dallas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2019/04/10/dart-renames-downtown-union-station-after-dallas-rep-eddie-bernice-johnson/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101225820/https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2019/04/10/dart-renames-downtown-union-station-after-dallas-rep-eddie-bernice-johnson/ |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |access-date=March 9, 2025 |work=The Dallas Morning News}}