PHOENIX, May 24 (Reuters) - Senator John McCain and Representative Peter King said on Tuesday they would reintroduce a resolution to pardon boxing legend Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world who was jailed after having a relationship with a white woman.
McCain of Arizona and King of New York, both Republicans, urged President Barack Obama to pardon Johnson over his 1913 conviction under the Mann Act, which prohibited taking women across state lines for "immoral purposes."
McCain, who ran for president against Obama in 2008, said both chambers of Congress unanimously passed a resolution in 2009 calling on the president to pardon Johnson of his "racially motivated conviction," although it was not granted.
"Congressman King and I are reintroducing this resolution to send a clear message to rectify this unacceptable historical injustice," McCain said in a statement on Tuesday.
"A full pardon would not only shed light on the achievements of an athlete who was forced into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice, but also allow future generations to grasp fully what Jonson accomplished against great odds," he added.
Born in Galveston Texas, in 1878, Johnson battled his way to the world heavyweight title in 1908, at the height of the Jim Crow era. A two-fisted counter puncher, he held on to it for nearly seven years against a series of so-called "Great White Hopes."
He was arrested in 1912 on the grounds that his relationship with Lucille Cameron, a white prostitute who later became Johnson's wife, violated the Mann Act against "transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes."
Johnson is widely regarded as one of the most talented heavyweights of all time. He died in 1946 and is buried in Chicago.
McCain and King, who are life-long box fans, have been introducing resolutions urging a pardon for Johnson since 2004.
McCain of Arizona and King of New York, both Republicans, urged President Barack Obama to pardon Johnson over his 1913 conviction under the Mann Act, which prohibited taking women across state lines for "immoral purposes."
McCain, who ran for president against Obama in 2008, said both chambers of Congress unanimously passed a resolution in 2009 calling on the president to pardon Johnson of his "racially motivated conviction," although it was not granted.
"Congressman King and I are reintroducing this resolution to send a clear message to rectify this unacceptable historical injustice," McCain said in a statement on Tuesday.
"A full pardon would not only shed light on the achievements of an athlete who was forced into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice, but also allow future generations to grasp fully what Jonson accomplished against great odds," he added.
Born in Galveston Texas, in 1878, Johnson battled his way to the world heavyweight title in 1908, at the height of the Jim Crow era. A two-fisted counter puncher, he held on to it for nearly seven years against a series of so-called "Great White Hopes."
He was arrested in 1912 on the grounds that his relationship with Lucille Cameron, a white prostitute who later became Johnson's wife, violated the Mann Act against "transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes."
Johnson is widely regarded as one of the most talented heavyweights of all time. He died in 1946 and is buried in Chicago.
McCain and King, who are life-long box fans, have been introducing resolutions urging a pardon for Johnson since 2004.
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