Long-Time Dallas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson Announces Retirement

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) announced on November 20 that she is retiring from Congress after nearly 30 years.

#BREAKING @RepEBJ, 85, announces she's retiring from Congress after nearly 30 years. @SenRoyceWest described her as "An institution, an icon, the matriarch of the Democratic party here." She says she will back a candidate to succeed her, preferably a woman. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/X5L4YluHZ8

— Jack Fink (@cbs11jack) November 20, 2021

Johnson blazed a trail from her segregated Waco high school to become the dean of the Texas Congressional delegation after several remarkable firsts.

She was the first Black woman elected to public office from Dallas, the first Black person from Dallas to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction, the first registered nurse elected to Congress, and the first Black woman to lead the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kristy Noble said in a statement that "Dallas County has been well served by Rep. Johnson, a stateswoman who used her influence for North Texas, and we thank her for a career of service. As a Veterans Administration nurse and a master lawmaker, she saved and bettered lives, and delivered for her constituents."

Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) shared these sentiments, stating that "nearly every Texan has benefited in some way from the work of Congresswoman Johnson. Her legacy is remarkable, and I can tell you firsthand from our shared work on the Transportation Committee, that no one works harder for their constituents. In the coming year, there will be more than enough time to reflect and celebrate all she has done for our state. I join my fellow Texans in saying that Congress is losing a giant and a powerful force for good."