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Jack Johnson biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Jack Johnson
  • OCCUPATION: Boxer
  • BIRTH DATE: March 31, 1878
  • DEATH DATE: June 10, 1946
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Galveston, Texas
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Originally: John Arthur Johnson
  • Nickname: "Lil' Arthur"
  • AKA: Jack Johnson
  • Nickname: "Galveston Giant"
  • AKA: John Arthur "Jack" Johnson

Best Known For

Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.

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Johnson continued to fight for another 12 years, hanging up his gloves for good at the age of 50.

Turbulent Life

As Johnson became a bigger name in the sport of boxing, he also became a bigger target for a white America that longed to see him ruined. For his part, Johnson loved to brandish his wealth and his disdain for racial rules.

He dated white women, drove lavish cars and spent money freely. But trouble was always lurking. In 1912, he was convicted of violating the Mann Act for bringing his white girlfriend across state lines before their marriage. Sentenced to prison, he fled to Europe, remaining there as a fugitive for seven years. He returned to the United States in 1920 and ultimately served out his sentence.

His life came to an unfortunate end on June 10, 1946 when he died in an automobile accident in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Since his death, Johnson's life and career have undergone a major rehabilitation. His alleged crimes are now seen as the result of racial bias in law enforcement. In 1990 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and his life was the subject of the acclaimed Ken Burns’ documentary Unforgivable Blackness.

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