[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8133-H8134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PAYING TRIBUTE TO JOHN HAROLD JOHNSON IN RECOGNITION OF HIS MANY 
                     ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my 
Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of the America's most outstanding citizens, the late Mr. John H. 
Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of the Johnson Publishing 
Company, who died August 8 of heart failure at the age of 87.
  Mr. Johnson was recognized and renowned as an emblem of the American 
dream, an embodiment of the civil rights movement, and a revolutionary 
businessman.
  Given the breadth and impressiveness of his contributions to American 
society and to African American culture, the Congressional Black Caucus 
Foundation will honor him later this week with its Phoenix Award.
  He was perhaps best known for launching the twin publications Ebony 
and Jet magazines. These sister magazines were started by Mr. Johnson 
specifically to engage the African American community. He also 
published numerous books, owned Fashion Fair Cosmetics and several 
radio stations, as well as held a majority ownership stake in Supreme 
Liberty Life Insurance Company. Mr. Johnson earned tremendous influence 
and success in his lifetime, but by no means were any of his 
accomplishments given to him.
  He was born a child of meager means, but left this earth as one of 
America's wealthiest businessmen. Mr. Johnson personified the idea that 
hard work and determination can lead to success. He simply refused to 
accept anything less.
  Born January 19, 1918, in Arkansas City, Arkansas, Mr. Johnson was 
raised by his widowed mother. She moved the two of them to Chicago in 
1933 after saving her money over several years so that he could have 
the chance to go to high school, as his own hometown offered no 
education for blacks beyond primary grades.
  After thriving in high school as the class president and student 
council president, an honor student, and the newspaper and yearbook 
editor, Mr. Johnson won a scholarship to the University of Chicago. He 
took classes at night while working as an office boy at the Supreme 
Liberty Life Insurance Company where he was in charge of compiling 
stories about the black community and sending them to the president of 
the company.
  It was while working in this position that Mr. Johnson realized that 
there were no magazines or publications specifically designed for 
America's black population. This inspired him to create his own 
magazine, the Negro Digest. Started in 1942, with only $500 from a loan 
secured with the assistance of his mother, the magazine began to draw 
followings when Mr. Johnson sent out letters asking for donations to 
fund its publication. Three thousand people donated $2 each, and within 
a year the magazine was selling 50,000 copies a month.
  In November of 1945, Negro Digest evolved into Ebony, a magazine 
modeled after Life magazine. Ebony focused on successes and 
achievements within the black community. Today, this magazine reaches 
about 42 percent of all African American adults, with a paid 
circulation of about $1.7 million. Mr. Johnson also founded Jet, 
another highly successful magazine aimed at the black community.
  Mr. Johnson also sought to publish with a conscience. He published 
the highly controversial photographs of the open casket of Emmett Till, 
a 14-year-old Chicago boy who had been beaten to death by white men in 
Mississippi. While the images were thoroughly disturbing, Mr. Johnson 
felt that they simply needed to be published and seen by the public. 
``I decided finally that if it happened, it was our responsibility to 
print it and let the world experience man's inhumanity to man,'' he 
said.
  A philanthropist, Mr. Johnson donated to many worthy causes, 
including a gift of $4 million to historically black Howard University 
in Washington, D.C. The university would thank Mr. Johnson by later 
renaming its school of communications in his honor.

                              {time}  2000

  Although Mr. Johnson attended the University of Chicago and 
Northwestern University, he never completed a degree. However, during 
his lifetime he received honorary degrees from 31 schools, including 
Harvard, Howard, and Northwestern universities.
  In 1982, Mr. Johnson had the honor of being the first African 
American to be included in Forbes Magazine's list of ``The 400 Richest 
Americans.'' His 1989 autobiography ``Succeeding Against the Odds,'' 
was a national best-seller.
  Indeed, Mr. Johnson's initial loan of $500 for his first magazine, he 
would later grow and develop that initial investment into an empire 
worth close to half a billion dollars.
  We owe Mr. John H. Johnson a great debt of gratitude. His name may 
not have been known to every household in America, but his 60-year-old 
publications have had an important and unmistakable impact on American 
history and culture. His legacy has touched countless African 
Americans, including myself, and his inspiration and example will 
continue to be felt for generations of blacks to come.
  Both his wife, Miss Eunice Johnson, and daughter were his business 
partners, and his daughter, Miss Linda Johnson Rice, has succeeded him 
as chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Publishing Company. 
A great man, a great humanitarian.
  Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to 
acknowledge and celebrate the life and vast and phenomenal achievements 
of John H. Johnson, the CEO, chairman, founder and publisher of the 
Johnson Publishing Company Inc., in Chicago, Illinois.

[[Page H8134]]

  Mr. Johnson rose from humble origins to become an icon in the 
African-American community. It was his vision and creation that 
launched Ebony and Jet magazines which became staples in black family 
homes. His publications depicted positive and factual images of our 
culture, accomplishments and social advances and plight. Through his 
resourcefulness, tenacity and love for his people, he created a vehicle 
for us to see images of ourselves and read articles that reflected our 
human condition.
  I have vivid memories of growing up and seeing Ebony and Jet in the 
home of my parents and seeing pictures of my race and individual 
struggles to secure civil rights for all African-Americans. Ultimately, 
the efforts of Mr. Johnson resulted in the creation of a publication 
that achieved a circulation of 1.7 million readers with a monthly 
readership of 11 million persons.
  Truly, John H. Johnson deserves all the accolades we heap upon him. 
In an effort to highlight the diverse beauty amongst our people, John 
Johnson produced the Ebony Fashion Fair; the world's largest traveling 
fashion show. The efforts of John Johnson resulted in him being able to 
employ over 2,600 people and sales in excess of $388 million.
  The contributions of John Johnson were acknowledged and commended by 
U.S. presidents. President Nixon brought John Johnson with him in 1957 
on a tour of the continent of Africa where they visited nine countries. 
In 1959 he accompanied President Nixon to Russia and Poland, and in 
1961 he was appointed by President Kennedy to serve as the Ambassador 
to the Independence Ceremonies of Ivory Coast. President Clinton 
awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  I am pleased to acknowledge the contributions of John H. Johnson, a 
publishing pioneer, entrepreneur, visionary and African-American icon.

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