Trailblazing Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson dies at 88 after serving three decades in House

Former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a trailblazing Texas Democrat who represented the Dallas area for three decades, has died. She was 88.

Dallas Republican Mayor Eric Johnson, of no relation to the late former congresswoman, confirmed her death Sunday in a statement on social media, writing that he met her while he was in high school  and she became a "dear friend, confidante, and mentor."

Eddie Bernice Johnson’s son, Dawrence Kirk Johnson Sr., said his mother "gave her life to this community," according to The Dallas Morning News.

"She was the first African American to serve as chief psychiatric nurse at Dallas’ VA hospital; the first African American from Dallas to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction; the first registered nurse elected to Congress; and the first Black woman to chair the House Science, Space and Technology Committee," according to the local outlet. 

Johnson was elected to the U.S. House in 1992, and upon Alaska GOP Rep. Don Young's death in March 2022, she became the oldest House member. She retired at the end of the 117th Congress, officially leaving public office on Jan. 3, 2023, which was 30 years to the day after she was sworn in.

Members of Congress and others expressed their condolences after her passing. 

"Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and I joined Congress the same year, but our friendship began two decades earlier. She was a treasured colleague, trusted confident, and most importantly, a dear friend," South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn said on X, formerly Twitter. 

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