1Honoring the illustrious life of pioneering heavyweight boxing
2champion Jack Johnson.

3WHEREAS, John Arthur "Jack" Johnson was born on March 31,
41878, in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, who both
5worked to earn enough money to raise six children and teach them
6how to read and write; and

7WHEREAS, Jack Johnson started boxing in his teenage years by
8engaging in unofficial fights with Galveston locals; and

9WHEREAS, Jack Johnson achieved great success as he moved on
10to official fights and earned a record of 56 wins and 2 losses,
11giving him the confidence that he could attain the highest level
12of achievement in the sport of boxing; and

13WHEREAS, Jack Johnson's life and career would be widely
14affected by intense racial discrimination, and the boxing
15establishment was reluctant to give him an opportunity to fight

1for the heavyweight title due to his race; and

2WHEREAS, In 1908, after continually challenging the reluctant
3reigning heavyweight champion, Tommy Burns, to a fight for the
4title, Burns finally relented and the match was held in
5Australia; and 

6WHEREAS, Jack Johnson was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed in
7at nearly 200 pounds, and Tommy Burns was the shortest
8heavyweight champion ever at 5 feet 7 inches tall and just under
9170 pounds; and

10WHEREAS, Jack Johnson went on to defeat Burns to win the
11heavyweight championship in a 14th-round technical knockout,
12thereby becoming the first African-American heavyweight boxing
13champion in the history of the sport, and he held the title from
141908 to 1915; and

15WHEREAS, Jack Johnson accomplished this feat during the
16bygone Jim Crow era in American history, which was characterized
17by racial segregation and blatant, widespread discrimination and
18persecution against African Americans in society; and

19WHEREAS, This victory set off a search to find a "Great White
20Hope" who could take the title back from Mr. Johnson, as the
21victory by an African American over Burns, a Caucasian, was not
22well received overall by the majority white American population;
23and

24WHEREAS, James Jeffries, former heavyweight champion, was
25lured out of retirement as the "Great White Hope," however, in
26July 1910, he failed to unseat Jack Johnson as the champion,
27losing in the 15th round as Johnson proved to be stronger and
28more nimble than his opponent; and

29WHEREAS, The outcome of this event sparked racial riots
30across the country, which led to several deaths; and

1WHEREAS, According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame,
2of Jack Johnson's 123 total fights, he won 77, of which 48 were
3knockouts, lost 13, drew 14 and 19 were judged to be no
4decisions; and

5WHEREAS, Jack Johnson was nicknamed the "Galveston Giant,"
6and was a highly capable and artful defensive fighter, who
7experts believe could likely defeat almost anyone in the history
8of heavyweight boxing; and

9WHEREAS, Jack Johnson was one of the first celebrity athletes
10who, living large, appeared in the press, on radio and in motion
11pictures, and who endorsed various products, all earning him
12quite a considerable income; and

13WHEREAS, During his lifetime, Jack Johnson patented three
14inventions, including an improved adjustable wrench and an anti-
15theft device, both relating to automobiles, and the third was a
16steam-powered heavy winch; and

17WHEREAS, Jack Johnson authored two books, one published in
181914 and one in 1927, each of which were memoirs of his life,
19and he was the sole author of both volumes; and

20WHEREAS, Jack Johnson starred in theater productions such as
21vaudeville shows; and

22WHEREAS, Jack Johnson opened a nightclub in the neighborhood
23of Harlem, New York City, that was later purchased from him and
24renamed the Cotton Club, which became a famous venue for
25African-American performers; and

26WHEREAS, Jack Johnson fought sporadically until he was 50
27years of age, when he retired from the sport of boxing; and

28WHEREAS, On June 10, 1946, at 68 years of age, Jack Johnson
29tragically died in a car accident near Raleigh, North Carolina,
30as he sped away from a restaurant where he had been refused

1service due to his race; and

2WHEREAS, Jack Johnson has been inducted into both the
3International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of
4Fame and is considered to be one of the best professional boxers
5of all time; therefore be it

6RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the
7illustrious life of pioneering heavyweight boxing champion Jack
8Johnson.