Eddie Bernice Johnson, Trailblazer in Congress and Beyond, Dies at 89

Eddie Bernice Johnson, who blazed a trail as a Black woman in health care and government, first as a nurse in Dallas, then as the first Black state senator from the city since Reconstruction and then in 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, died on Sunday. She was 89.

Her death was confirmed by her son, Dawrence Kirk Johnson Sr., who did not say where she died.

Ms. Johnson, who was raised in segregated Waco, Texas, served in Congress from 1992 through last January, championing legislation on water resources, which encompassed flood control and environmental protection, and on education, which prioritized science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

She was the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2001-2003 and the first Black woman to head the House Science Committee. When she decided not to run again in November 2022, she was the dean of the Texas Congressional delegation and the oldest member of the House of Representatives.

In 1998, she helped rally Black support for President Bill Clinton when Republicans impeached him on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. In 2002, she voted against the resolution authorizing the war against Iraq, arguing that the administration had failed to provide evidence of an imminent threat to the United States.

She also helped fend off Republican attempts to weaken government efforts to mitigate climate change.

As indefatigable and exacting as she could be, Ms. Johnson was also considered a pragmatic legislator who could reach across the aisle to get bills passed rather than just grandstand.

Mayor Eric Johnson of Dallas called her the city’s “single most effective legislator,” adding: “Nobody brought more federal infrastructure money home to our city. Nobody