U.S. Senators Harry Reid of Nevada and John McCain of Arizona are once again urging President Barack Obama to posthumously pardon Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, whose best-known fight took place in Reno on July 4, 1910.
Reid, a Democrat, and McCain, a Republican, long have been strong advocates for a presidential pardon of Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act for transporting a white woman (who later became his wife) across state lines.
Here is the text of the letter sent today from Reid and McCain to the president.
“We are writing on behalf of the Members of the United States Congress who in 2009 unanimously approved a resolution, S.CON.RES.29, which called for a posthumous pardon for John Arthur "Jack" Johnson. As you are aware, Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight Boxing Champion, was unjustly convicted in 1913 under the Mann Act for transporting a white woman across state lines. Last year, on the hundredth anniversary of his unjust conviction, the Senate again unanimously passed a Resolution, S.CON.RES.5, supporting his posthumous pardon.
“While we understand it is not a common practice to issue presidential pardons posthumously, it is not unprecedented. We strongly believe that, given the racially-motivated circumstances surrounding Jack Johnson’s case, this conviction should be expunged from his record. Jack Johnson was a tremendous athlete, and his legacy continues to be marred by this miscarriage of justice. A posthumous pardon is long overdue, and would be an important step in repairing the legacy of this great boxer and a rare opportunity for our government to right an historical wrong.”
Jack Johnson’s knockout of Tommy Burns in 1908 earned him the heavyweight championship but sparked outrage among sportswriters — led by Jack London — who called for a “Great White Hope” to take back the championship.
Public pressure eventually prompted Jim Jeffries, the heavyweight champion from 1899 to 1905 who was undefeated, to come out of retirement and face Johnson.
The Johnson-Jeffries fight, billed “The Fight of the Century,” was held on July 4, 1910, in Reno, which was then a bustling railroad town of 17,000. The fight drew a crowd of more than 20,000, filling every Reno hotel room, spare rooms of Reno homeowners, a tent city in Idlewild Park and railroad sleeper cars brought in just for the occasion.
Johnson easily defeated Jeffries, a result that sparked race riots and violent incidents across the country. He led the heavyweight title until 1915 when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in Havana, Cuba.
Johnson’s success in the boxing ring, his flamboyant lifestyle and his relationships with white women made him a target of federal officials. He served a year in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas (where former Nevada Gov. Denver Dickerson was the warden).
Johnson was the subject of a book and documentary, both titled “Unforgivable Blackness.” Filmmakers Ken Burns and Tom Hanks are planning an HBO miniseries on Johnson.
In 2013, the Nevada Legislature passed SJR12, sponsored by Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, and Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas, urging Obama to pardon Johnson.