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- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, served 15 terms in Congress before announcing her retirement.
- Johnson worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Dallas and became the first nurse in Congress.
- Throughout her 29 years on Capitol Hill, Johnson co-authored or authored 177 bills that became law.
House Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson, 85, announced on Saturday that she will not be seeking re-election and is retiring from Congress after serving 15 terms, Politico reported.
Johnson represents Texas' 30th District, which encompasses most of Dallas county, and was the first nurse to be elected to Congress, according to her Congressional website. Her groundbreaking career began at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Dallas, where she became the first African-American woman to serve as chief psychiatric nurse.
Between 1972 and 1992, Johnson served both the state House of Representatives and Senate before winning her Congressional seat in 1993, according to Ballotpedia. Throughout her tenure on Capitol Hill, she was credited with authoring and co-authoring more than 177 bills that signed into law, according to her biography.
Johnson became the first African-American and woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, according to her biography.
"Whether you are from Dallas or not, 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" said US Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News.
On Tuesday, Johnson announced that two Dallas-based infrastructure projects were awarded grants by the Department of Transportation equivalent to nearly $21 million, according to a press release.
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