Earl M. Johnson Explained

Earl M. Johnson Sr.
Birth Date:	1928
Death Place:	1988
Nationality:	American
Occupation:	Lawyer

Earl M. Johnson Sr. (1928–1988) was a lawyer and civil rights advocate in Florida.

Career

Johnson was a graduate of Howard University and was the first African American to be a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association.

Johnson is known for being a prominent advocate for the consolidation of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, and is credited with mobilizing African-American support for the 1967 referendum.

After the consolidation vote, Jackson became the first Black person to be elected to an at-large seat on the Jacksonville City Council.^[1]

Johnson represented numerous civil rights activists during his tenure, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and former Mayor of Atlanta Andrew Young. For this, and his broader work to desegregate public places in Florida, he was inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2016 by Governor Rick Scott.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Johnson died of cancer in 1988.^{[1] [2]}

Legacy

Earl Johnson Memorial Park in Jacksonville is named for him.^[5]

Personal life

Johnson married his wife Janet in 1952, when he also became a Catholic to join her in the Church.^[6]

Their son, Earl M. Johnson Jr., is also a lawyer and civil rights activist.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Johnson pushed for consolidation, but later had doubts. Matt. Soergel. The Florida Times-Union.
2. Web site: 2 Jacksonville men among 3 named to Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame . WJXT . February 2, 2016 . May 5, 2023.
3. Web site: Earl M. Johnson. The Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
4. Web site: Governor selects Earl Johnson and Rutledge Pearson for Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame . Jax Daily Record . February 2, 2016 . May 10, 2023.
5. https://www.coj.net/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation-and-community-programming/parks/earl-johnson-memorial-park
6. Davis . Cyprian . 2006 . Black Catholics in the Civil Rights Movement in the Southern United States: A.P. Tureaud, Thomas Wyatt Turner, and Earl Johnson . U.S. Catholic Historian . 24 . 4 . 69–81 . 0735-8318.
7. Web site: Lawsuit over spending for Confederate memorials could be dismissed . Florida Times-Union . April 6, 2023 . May 10, 2023.