Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson's Statement on the Death of Former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Today, our nation, our state, and our city have lost a statesman, a trailblazer, and a champion.
And I have lost a dear friend, confidante, and mentor.
I first met Eddie Bernice Johnson when I was in high school. She was new to Congress then, but she wasn’t new to politics and policymaking after serving two decades in the Texas Legislature.
In the years since then, Dallas and our state grew and changed at an incredible pace. But in Washington, we had a constant, steady, determined leader fighting for our communities and representing our interests. Eddie Bernice Johnson authored and co-authored more than 177 bills that became law, and she worked with both Republicans and Democrats to get the job done for Dallas, for our region, and for our state. She was the single most effective legislator Dallas has ever had. 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.
I had hoped that, after a distinguished three-decade career in the United States Capitol, we would have more time with her back at home. It was clear that she still had that same fire and passion for public service that initially drove her to become the first nurse to win election both to the Texas Legislature and to Congress.
Personally and professionally, she touched countless lives, including mine. I am devastated and heartbroken by her passing, and my thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in the peace she deserves after a life well lived, and may her legacy long endure in Dallas and in the nation she helped shape.
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