11
11
0
John Arthur Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), nicknamed the Galveston Giant, was an American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). Among the period's most dominant champions, Johnson remains a boxing legend, with his 1910 fight against James J. Jeffries dubbed the "fight of the century".[4] According to filmmaker Ken Burns, "for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on Earth".[5][6] Transcending boxing, he became part of the culture and the history of racism in America.[7]
In 1912, Johnson opened a successful and luxurious "black and tan" (desegregated) restaurant and nightclub, which in part was run by his wife, a white woman. Major newspapers of the time soon claimed that Johnson was attacked by the government only after he became famous as a black man married to a white woman, and was linked to other white women.[8] Johnson was arrested on charges of violating the Mann Act—forbidding one to transport a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes"—a racially motivated charge that embroiled him in controversy for his relationships, including marriages, with white women.[9] There were also allegations of domestic violence. Sentenced to a year in prison, Johnson fled the country and fought boxing matches abroad for seven years until 1920 when he served his sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth. Johnson was posthumously pardoned by President Donald Trump in May 2018, 105 years after his conviction.[7][10]
Johnson continued taking paying fights for many years, and operated several other businesses, including lucrative endorsement deals. Johnson died in a car crash on June 10, 1946, at the age of 68.[11] He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.[12]
In 1912, Johnson opened a successful and luxurious "black and tan" (desegregated) restaurant and nightclub, which in part was run by his wife, a white woman. Major newspapers of the time soon claimed that Johnson was attacked by the government only after he became famous as a black man married to a white woman, and was linked to other white women.[8] Johnson was arrested on charges of violating the Mann Act—forbidding one to transport a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes"—a racially motivated charge that embroiled him in controversy for his relationships, including marriages, with white women.[9] There were also allegations of domestic violence. Sentenced to a year in prison, Johnson fled the country and fought boxing matches abroad for seven years until 1920 when he served his sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth. Johnson was posthumously pardoned by President Donald Trump in May 2018, 105 years after his conviction.[7][10]
Johnson continued taking paying fights for many years, and operated several other businesses, including lucrative endorsement deals. Johnson died in a car crash on June 10, 1946, at the age of 68.[11] He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.[12]
Jack Johnson (boxer) - Wikipedia
Posted from en.wikipedia.org
Birthday
Boxing
Sports
Athlete
American History
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
5
5
0
John Arthur ("Jack") Johnson nicknamed the "Galveston Giant," was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African Amer...
Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that March 31 is the anniversary of the birth of American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion John Arthur Johnson.
Rest in peace John Arthur Johnson!
JACK JOHNSON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GdUMi2dqA
Background from .thoughtco.com/jack-johnson-inventor-4078001
"Jack Johnson (March 31, 1878–June 10, 1946) was an American boxer who became the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. He came to fame during the Jim Crow era, when the South was still segregated. Johnson's success in the ring made him one of the most famous African-Americans of his time.
Fast Facts: Jack Johnson
Known For: Johnson was an African-American boxer who reigned as the heavyweight champion from 1908 to 1915.
Also Known As: John Arthur Johnson, Galveston Giant
Born: March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas
Parents: Henry and Tina Johnson
Died: June 10, 1946 in Franklinton, North Carolina
Published Works: "My Life and Battles" (1914), "Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out" (1927)
Awards and Honors: International Boxing Hall of Fame
Spouse(s): Etta Terry Duryea (m. 1911-1912), Lucille Cameron (m. 1912-1924), Irene Pineau (m. 1925-1946)
Early Life
Jack Johnson was born John Arthur Johnson on March 31, 1878, in Galveston, Texas. His parents, Henry and Tina Johnson, were former slaves; his father worked as a janitor and his mother worked as a dishwasher. Johnson left school after only a few years and went to work at the docks. He later moved to Dallas, where he first began learning how to box, and then Manhattan, where he roomed with boxer Barbados Joe Walcott. Johnson eventually returned to Galveston, where he participated in his first professional match on November 1, 1898. Johnson won the fight.
Boxing Career
Johnson boxed professionally from 1898 through 1928 and in exhibition matches until 1945. He fought 113 fights, winning 79 matches, 44 of them by knockouts. He defeated Canadian Tommy Burns on December 26, 1908, in the World Boxing Championship held in Sydney, Australia. This began a quest to find a "Great White Hope" to defeat him. James Jeffries, a leading white fighter, came out of retirement to answer the challenge.
The ensuing match—known as the "Fight of the Century"—took place on July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. The fight went on for 15 rounds, with Jefferies growing wearier and wearier. He was even knocked down—for the first time in his career—twice. His team decided to surrender to save Jefferies from having a knockout on his record.
For the fight, Johnson earned $65,000. News of Jeffries' defeat ignited numerous incidents of white violence against blacks, but black poet William Waring Cuney captured the exuberant African American reaction in his poem “My Lord, What a Morning":
O my Lord,
What a morning,
O my Lord,
What a feeling,
When Jack Johnson
Turned Jim Jeffries'
Snow-white face
to the ceiling.
The Johnson-Jefferies fight, along with five others, was filmed and became one of the most popular motion pictures of the era. However, there was a strong movement to censor the film, as many people did not want to publicize the news of Johnson's victory.
Johnson won the heavyweight title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in 1908, and he held onto the title until April 5, 1915 when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round of the World Championship fight in Havana, Cuba. Johnson defended his heavyweight championship three times in Paris before his fight against Jess Willard. He continued boxing professionally until 1938, when, well past his prime, he lost his final match to Walter Price. Johnson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954, followed by the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Johnson was known for his defensive fighting style; he preferred to gradually wear down his opponents rather than going for a knockout. With each passing round, as his opponents became more exhausted, Johnson would ratchet up his attacks until going for the final blow.
Personal Life
Johnson received bad publicity because of his three marriages, all to Caucasian women. Interracial marriages were prohibited in most of America at the time. He was convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1912 when he transported his wife across state lines before their marriage and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Fearing for his safety, Johnson escaped while he was out on appeal. Posing as a member of a black baseball team, he fled to Canada and later to Europe and remained a fugitive for seven years.
Wrench Patent
In 1920, Johnson decided to return to the U.S. to serve his sentence. It was during this time that, searching for a tool that would tighten or loosen nuts and bolts, he made improvements to the design of the monkey wrench. Johnson received a patent for his innovations in 1922.
Johnson’s wrench was unique in that it could be easily taken apart for cleaning or repair and its gripping action was superior to that of other tools on the market at the time. Johnson is credited with coining the term “wrench.”
Later Years
After his release from prison, Jack Johnson's boxing career declined. He worked in vaudeville to make ends meet, even appearing with a trained flea act. He opened a night club in Harlem in 1920; it was later purchased from him and renamed the Cotton Club. Johnson wrote two memoirs, "Mes Combats" in 1914, and "Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out" in 1927.
Death
Johnson died in an automobile accident on June 10, 1946, in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the age of 68. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
Legacy
In 1993, Johnson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His career inspired numerous people, including heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali and jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who recorded an album in 1971 called "A Tribute to Jack Johnson." The 1910 film of Johnson's famous fight against James Jefferies was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. Johnson's life was the inspiration for the 1970 film "The Great White Hope."
Sources
Johnson, Jack. "Jack Johnson: in the Ring and Out." Kessinger Pub., 2007.
Ward, Geoffrey C. "Unforgivable Blackness: the Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson." Yellow Jersey Press, 2015."
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
Rest in peace John Arthur Johnson!
JACK JOHNSON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GdUMi2dqA
Background from .thoughtco.com/jack-johnson-inventor-4078001
"Jack Johnson (March 31, 1878–June 10, 1946) was an American boxer who became the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. He came to fame during the Jim Crow era, when the South was still segregated. Johnson's success in the ring made him one of the most famous African-Americans of his time.
Fast Facts: Jack Johnson
Known For: Johnson was an African-American boxer who reigned as the heavyweight champion from 1908 to 1915.
Also Known As: John Arthur Johnson, Galveston Giant
Born: March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas
Parents: Henry and Tina Johnson
Died: June 10, 1946 in Franklinton, North Carolina
Published Works: "My Life and Battles" (1914), "Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out" (1927)
Awards and Honors: International Boxing Hall of Fame
Spouse(s): Etta Terry Duryea (m. 1911-1912), Lucille Cameron (m. 1912-1924), Irene Pineau (m. 1925-1946)
Early Life
Jack Johnson was born John Arthur Johnson on March 31, 1878, in Galveston, Texas. His parents, Henry and Tina Johnson, were former slaves; his father worked as a janitor and his mother worked as a dishwasher. Johnson left school after only a few years and went to work at the docks. He later moved to Dallas, where he first began learning how to box, and then Manhattan, where he roomed with boxer Barbados Joe Walcott. Johnson eventually returned to Galveston, where he participated in his first professional match on November 1, 1898. Johnson won the fight.
Boxing Career
Johnson boxed professionally from 1898 through 1928 and in exhibition matches until 1945. He fought 113 fights, winning 79 matches, 44 of them by knockouts. He defeated Canadian Tommy Burns on December 26, 1908, in the World Boxing Championship held in Sydney, Australia. This began a quest to find a "Great White Hope" to defeat him. James Jeffries, a leading white fighter, came out of retirement to answer the challenge.
The ensuing match—known as the "Fight of the Century"—took place on July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. The fight went on for 15 rounds, with Jefferies growing wearier and wearier. He was even knocked down—for the first time in his career—twice. His team decided to surrender to save Jefferies from having a knockout on his record.
For the fight, Johnson earned $65,000. News of Jeffries' defeat ignited numerous incidents of white violence against blacks, but black poet William Waring Cuney captured the exuberant African American reaction in his poem “My Lord, What a Morning":
O my Lord,
What a morning,
O my Lord,
What a feeling,
When Jack Johnson
Turned Jim Jeffries'
Snow-white face
to the ceiling.
The Johnson-Jefferies fight, along with five others, was filmed and became one of the most popular motion pictures of the era. However, there was a strong movement to censor the film, as many people did not want to publicize the news of Johnson's victory.
Johnson won the heavyweight title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in 1908, and he held onto the title until April 5, 1915 when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round of the World Championship fight in Havana, Cuba. Johnson defended his heavyweight championship three times in Paris before his fight against Jess Willard. He continued boxing professionally until 1938, when, well past his prime, he lost his final match to Walter Price. Johnson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954, followed by the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Johnson was known for his defensive fighting style; he preferred to gradually wear down his opponents rather than going for a knockout. With each passing round, as his opponents became more exhausted, Johnson would ratchet up his attacks until going for the final blow.
Personal Life
Johnson received bad publicity because of his three marriages, all to Caucasian women. Interracial marriages were prohibited in most of America at the time. He was convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1912 when he transported his wife across state lines before their marriage and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Fearing for his safety, Johnson escaped while he was out on appeal. Posing as a member of a black baseball team, he fled to Canada and later to Europe and remained a fugitive for seven years.
Wrench Patent
In 1920, Johnson decided to return to the U.S. to serve his sentence. It was during this time that, searching for a tool that would tighten or loosen nuts and bolts, he made improvements to the design of the monkey wrench. Johnson received a patent for his innovations in 1922.
Johnson’s wrench was unique in that it could be easily taken apart for cleaning or repair and its gripping action was superior to that of other tools on the market at the time. Johnson is credited with coining the term “wrench.”
Later Years
After his release from prison, Jack Johnson's boxing career declined. He worked in vaudeville to make ends meet, even appearing with a trained flea act. He opened a night club in Harlem in 1920; it was later purchased from him and renamed the Cotton Club. Johnson wrote two memoirs, "Mes Combats" in 1914, and "Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out" in 1927.
Death
Johnson died in an automobile accident on June 10, 1946, in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the age of 68. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
Legacy
In 1993, Johnson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His career inspired numerous people, including heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali and jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who recorded an album in 1971 called "A Tribute to Jack Johnson." The 1910 film of Johnson's famous fight against James Jefferies was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. Johnson's life was the inspiration for the 1970 film "The Great White Hope."
Sources
Johnson, Jack. "Jack Johnson: in the Ring and Out." Kessinger Pub., 2007.
Ward, Geoffrey C. "Unforgivable Blackness: the Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson." Yellow Jersey Press, 2015."
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
(5)
(0)
3
3
0
1
1
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google