IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 31 
Expressing the sense of Congress that John Arthur ‘‘Jack’’ Johnson should 
receive a posthumous pardon for the racially motivated conviction in 
1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance 
of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2017 
Mr. KING of New York (for himself, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. NAPOLI-
TANO, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, and 
Mrs. BEATTY) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that John Arthur ‘‘Jack’’ 
Johnson should receive a posthumous pardon for the 
racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished 
the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack 
Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation. 
Whereas John Arthur ‘‘Jack’’ Johnson was a flamboyant, de-
fiant, and controversial figure in the history of the 
United States who challenged racial biases; 
Whereas Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas, in 
1878 to parents who were former slaves; 
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•HCON 31 IH 
Whereas Jack Johnson became a professional boxer and trav-
eled throughout the United States, fighting White and 
African-American heavyweights; 
Whereas after being denied (on purely racial grounds) the op-
portunity to fight 2 White champions, in 1908, Jack 
Johnson was granted an opportunity by an Australian 
promoter to fight the reigning White title-holder, Tommy 
Burns; 
Whereas Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns to become the 
first African-American to hold the title of Heavyweight 
Champion of the World; 
Whereas the victory by Jack Johnson over Tommy Burns 
prompted a search for a White boxer who could beat 
Jack Johnson, a recruitment effort that was dubbed the 
search for the ‘‘great white hope’’; 
Whereas in 1910, a White former champion named Jim 
Jeffries left retirement to fight Jack Johnson in Reno, 
Nevada; 
Whereas Jim Jeffries lost to Jack Johnson in what was 
deemed the ‘‘Battle of the Century’’; 
Whereas the defeat of Jim Jeffries by Jack Johnson led to 
rioting, aggression against African-Americans, and the 
racially motivated murder of African-Americans nation-
wide; 
Whereas the relationships of Jack Johnson with White 
women compounded the resentment felt toward him by 
many Whites; 
Whereas between 1901 and 1910, 754 African-Americans 
were lynched, some for simply for being ‘‘too familiar’’ 
with White women; 
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•HCON 31 IH 
Whereas in 1910, Congress passed the Act of June 25, 1910 
(commonly known as the ‘‘White Slave Traffic Act’’ or 
the ‘‘Mann Act’’) (18 U.S.C. 2421 et seq.), which out-
lawed the transportation of women in interstate or for-
eign commerce ‘‘for the purpose of prostitution or de-
bauchery, or for any other immoral purpose’’; 
Whereas in October 1912, Jack Johnson became involved 
with a White woman whose mother disapproved of their 
relationship and sought action from the Department of 
Justice, claiming that Jack Johnson had abducted her 
daughter; 
Whereas Jack Johnson was arrested by Federal marshals on 
October 18, 1912, for transporting the woman across 
State lines for an ‘‘immoral purpose’’ in violation of the 
Mann Act; 
Whereas the Mann Act charges against Jack Johnson were 
dropped when the woman refused to cooperate with Fed-
eral authorities, and then married Jack Johnson; 
Whereas Federal authorities persisted and summoned a 
White woman named Belle Schreiber, who testified that 
Jack Johnson had transported her across State lines for 
the purpose of ‘‘prostitution and debauchery’’; 
Whereas in 1913, Jack Johnson was convicted of violating 
the Mann Act and sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in Fed-
eral prison; 
Whereas Jack Johnson fled the United States to Canada and 
various European and South American countries; 
Whereas Jack Johnson lost the Heavyweight Championship 
title to Jess Willard in Cuba in 1915; 
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•HCON 31 IH 
Whereas Jack Johnson returned to the United States in July 
1920, surrendered to authorities, and served nearly a 
year in the Federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas; 
Whereas Jack Johnson subsequently fought in boxing 
matches, but never regained the Heavyweight Champion-
ship title; 
Whereas Jack Johnson served his country during World War 
II by encouraging citizens to buy war bonds and partici-
pating in exhibition boxing matches to promote the war 
bond cause; 
Whereas Jack Johnson died in an automobile accident in 
1946; 
Whereas in 1954, Jack Johnson was inducted into the Box-
ing Hall of Fame; and 
Whereas, on July 29, 2009, the 111th Congress agreed to 
Senate Concurrent Resolution 29, which expressed the 
sense of the 111th Congress that Jack Johnson should 
receive a posthumous pardon for his racially motivated 
1913 conviction: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it remains the sense of Congress that 
Jack Johnson should receive a posthumous pardon— 
(1) to expunge a racially motivated abuse of the 
prosecutorial authority of the Federal Government 
from the annals of criminal justice in the United 
States; and 
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•HCON 31 IH 
(2) in recognition of the athletic and cultural 
contributions of Jack Johnson to society. 
Æ 
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