President Joe Biden made his first visit to Dallas as president on Monday when he made his way to Texas to attend the services for longtime congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who died Dec. 31.
Johnson was a politician that represented the Dallas area for decades, and was the first nurse to be elected not only to Congress but also to the Texas House in 1972 and Texas Senate in 1986.
“Eddie Bernice Johnson was a dedicated nurse, state legislator, and longtime U.S. congresswoman with immense courage and a commitment to the promise of America,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “She had unwavering dedication to the people of North Texas.”
Along with her work as a nurse, Johnson has broken barriers in politics since taking on her first elected position. She became the first woman in Texas history to lead a major Texas House committee, the Labor Committee, and In 1986, she was elected a Texas state Senator, becoming the first female and African-American from the Dallas area to hold the office since Reconstruction.
“She and I worked together throughout her 30 years in Congress, and I’ve always been grateful for her friendship and partnership,” Biden said. “Throughout her life, and as the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, she was an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure.”
While Bernice’s impacts stretched across the country, she left her mark on North Texas. In the areas of public transportation, DART renamed Union Station, Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station in her honor in 2019. DART also awarded Johnson its first Legacy Award in August 2023 as the organization celebrated its 40th anniversary.
“Talk about an individual who comes along once in a lifetime who has just this wide view of the benefits of serving our people, serving the residents of North Texas, serving their needs, putting their needs above her own,” Gordon Shattles, DART’s assistant vice president of external relations, told KERA. “She is one in a million.”
Johnson’s funeral service is being held Tuesday, and will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on Wednesday.
“Everything that y’all touch or look at, you can probably think about Eddie Bernice Johnson, and recognize that you are still connected to her,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett said to the Texas Standard.
