McCain pushes Obama for posthumous pardon of boxer Jack Johnson
Sen. John McCain is again urging President Barack Obama to give a posthumous pardon to heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, according to the Associated Press. Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman
According to the Associated Press story:
McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., noted in a letter to Obama that both houses of Congress this summer passed their resolution urging a pardon. After the vote, the lawmakers wrote to Obama in August asking him to issue the pardon.
“Regrettably, we have not received a response from you or any member of your administration,” they wrote in Friday’s letter, adding they hoped that Obama would be eager to “right this wrong and erase an act of racism that sent an American citizen to prison.”
The White House had no immediate comment.
Johnson became the world heavyweight champion by beating Canadian world champion Tommy Burns on Dec. 26, 1908 in Australia. That led to a search for a “Great White Hope” who could beat Johnson.
Johnson was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes. He fled the country after his conviction, but agreed years later to return and serve a 10-month jail sentence.
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Ron is in charge of the main news sections of the Sunday Post-Dispatch and supervises newsroom production of the daily paper several nights a week. He has worked at newspapers since 1976 as a reporter, copy editor, layout editor, deputy sports editor and news editor. He has been at the Post-Dispatch since 2006. 
It is a shame that this has not been done before now, but with justices of the peace not wanting to marry a mixed ethnicity couple in 2009, you can see why no one wanted to deal with it. We need to move on.
While McCain’s efforts are admirable it has been too long and the guy is deceased so is this for the family or for whom? The man did what he did which was against the law then and now, so why the pardon? He ran, he came back, he served his sentence - enuf said - so - it’s over!
Like there aren’t more pressing,important things to consider,when our economy is in the tank,fighting two wars,being invaded by ILLEGAL aliens. They’re wasting time whether to give a pardon to someone who’s been dead for years & years. What a country. Soon to be a 3rd world country.
hold on a sec…didn’t McCain transport a woman (Palin) across stae lines for immoral purposes…the “immoral purposes” being the infliction of a ceritifed retard on the American people and an international embarassment?
Oh…okay…now I get the connection.
Mooselini - obviously you need to understand the meaning of ”transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes” before making a really silly comment! You are just trying to be insulting to Ms. Palin, which is uncalled for and actually rather contemptable. I suggest you grow up.
Yes this should be a top priority above all of the current issues in our country. I mean this happened, what almost a hundred years ago? Ya real important now.
Why has this been brought up before? There have been at least 10 presidents in the past 57 years who may have done so. This couldn’t jsut be another ploy to distract or otherwise make the first African-American President look bad?
By the way, Johnson’s real offense was that he dared to have affairs with both black and white women. Horrors!
Harnack, McCain has been pushing this for years, it isn’t a ploy to get a “gotcha on the black man.”
Amazedbythelunacy,
Years? How about since 2008 for Congress, McCain and this King since 2009. I agree with RHarnack.
Some years back, in the early 2000’s if I am recalling correctly, the Post Dispatch did an excellent feature of this boxer and his story.
Hey DWalker, Check the date on this and then look at the bottom of the page. You will see John McCain was a member of The Committee to Pardon Jack Johnson which filed the Pardon Brief July 30, 2004.
So HE HAS been saying pardon Johnson for at least 5 YEARS……Your apology is accepted.
http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/usa/usnews108.htm