[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF THE HONORABLE LEROY JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
work and service of a prominent attorney, exemplary civil rights 
leader, and former Georgia State Senator, the Honorable Leroy Reginald 
Johnson. Senator Johnson will be honored at the 18th Annual Justice 
Robert Benham Awards for Community Service on Tuesday, February 28, 
2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Senator Johnson will be awarded the Lifetime 
Achievement Award, the highest recognition given by the State Bar of 
Georgia and the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism to a 
lawyer or judge who has demonstrated an extraordinarily long and 
distinguished commitment to volunteer participation in the community 
throughout his or her legal career.
  Leroy Reginald Johnson was born on July 28, 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia. 
He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1945. He went on 
to earn a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College in 1949 and a 
master's degree from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) 
in 1951. From 1950 to 1954, Senator Johnson taught social science in 
the Atlanta school system. He then enrolled in law school at North 
Carolina Central University, earning his law degree in 1957.
  Following his graduation from law school, Fulton County hired him as 
a criminal investigator, the first African American to be hired by the 
solicitor general's office (now the district attorney's office). As the 
Civil Rights Movement ramped up, he became involved in demonstrations 
and protests. When black college students conducted mass sit-ins at 
Rich's Department Store lunch counters in October 1960, he was present 
as one of the several community leaders advising the students, who 
included Julian Bond.
  In 1962, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate, making him the 
first African American to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly 
since the end of the Reconstruction Era. He was also the first African 
American elected to public office in the Southeast United Mates that 
year. In the beginning, Senator Johnson faced many obstacles due to 
segregation but rose above the adversity, becoming an influential 
lawmaker and attaining the position of chairman of the Judiciary 
Committee.
  All the while, Senator Johnson has maintained a successful law 
practice. He was the driving force in getting the legendary Muhammad 
Ali's boxing license reinstated in 1970. Ali had been stripped of his 
boxing license in the prime of his career due to his opposition to the 
Vietnam War. After big cities across the country refused to host a 
match in which Ali would participate, Senator Johnson offered Atlanta 
as a location where the fight could take place. Senator Johnson fought 
behind the scenes to get state and local officials to agree so that 
ultimately, Muhammad Ali could fight inside the ring in a match that 
would lead the way for Ali to eventually reclaim the heavyweight crown.
  Over the years, Senator Johnson received many awards and accolades 
for his legal, political, and social work. In 1996, his portrait was 
hung on the third floor of the State Capitol near the Senate chamber 
where he served for twelve years. In 2000, the Senate passed a 
resolution renaming a portion of Fulton Industrial Boulevard as Leroy 
Johnson-Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Senator Johnson has accomplished 
much in his life but none of this would be possible without the love 
and support of his wife, Cleopatra, and son, Michael Vince.
  On a personal note, I have had the great pleasure of knowing Senator 
Johnson since high school in 1964 when he spoke in Montgomery, Alabama 
at the Alabama State Association of Student Councils' meeting where I 
was presiding as State Student Council President. I was inspired by 
this successful lawyer and public official and was motivated to emulate 
his career path. I became a lawyer and twelve years after meeting him, 
I was elected to the Georgia General Assembly and later, to the U.S. 
Congress. I have truly been blessed by Senator Johnson's friendship, 
counsel and mentorship throughout the years.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and my wife, Vivian, and 
the people of the state of Georgia, in honoring former State Senator 
Leroy Johnson for his outstanding professional achievements and 
service. We congratulate Senator Johnson on receiving the Justice 
Robert Benham Lifetime Achievement Award.

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