Donald Trump is considering a posthumous pardon for the boxer Jack Johnson after a call from his friend Sylvester Stallone.
The US President tweeted that he would be looking at a "full pardon" after hearing of the boxer's case through the Rocky actor.
He said Stallone called him to share Johnson's story, adding that the boxer's "trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial".
Mr Trump said: "Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!"
Johnson was sentenced in June 1913, after being convicted by an all-white jury under the Mann Act, which made it illegal to accompany a woman over state lines for "immoral purposes".
The world heavyweight champion was married three times, to white women, which caused controversy at the time.
Johnson was charged over his relationship with his second wife, Lucille Cameron, who was said to be a prostitute. Her mother also claimed she was insane.
Sylvester Stallone called me with the story of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. His trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial. Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018
The Mann Act was passed after the alleged crime, but he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.
But he skipped bail with his wife and the two lived in exile across Europe for seven years, before he eventually surrendered and served his sentence in 1920.
Johnson's story was fictionalised for The Great White Hope, starring James Earl Jones, and told in a documentary called Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.
His great-great niece has pushed for a pardon for Johnson, who was also an inventor, and the case has been supported by Senator John McCain.
Mr McCain previously said Johnson was a "boxing legend and pioneer whose career and reputation were ruined by a racially charged conviction more than a century ago".
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He added: "Johnson's imprisonment forced him into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice, and continues to stand as a stain on our national honour."
Stallone, best known for the Rocky boxing series of films, is a supporter of the President and attended his 2016 New Year's Eve Party in Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trump is considering a posthumous pardon for the boxer Jack Johnson after a call from his friend Sylvester Stallone.
The US President tweeted that he would be looking at a "full pardon" after hearing of the boxer's case through the Rocky actor.
He said Stallone called him to share Johnson's story, adding that the boxer's "trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial".
Mr Trump said: "Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!"
Johnson was sentenced in June 1913, after being convicted by an all-white jury under the Mann Act, which made it illegal to accompany a woman over state lines for "immoral purposes".
The world heavyweight champion was married three times, to white women, which caused controversy at the time.
Johnson was charged over his relationship with his second wife, Lucille Cameron, who was said to be a prostitute. Her mother also claimed she was insane.
Sylvester Stallone called me with the story of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. His trials and tribulations were great, his life complex and controversial. Others have looked at this over the years, most thought it would be done, but yes, I am considering a Full Pardon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018
The Mann Act was passed after the alleged crime, but he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.
But he skipped bail with his wife and the two lived in exile across Europe for seven years, before he eventually surrendered and served his sentence in 1920.
Johnson's story was fictionalised for The Great White Hope, starring James Earl Jones, and told in a documentary called Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.
His great-great niece has pushed for a pardon for Johnson, who was also an inventor, and the case has been supported by Senator John McCain.
Mr McCain previously said Johnson was a "boxing legend and pioneer whose career and reputation were ruined by a racially charged conviction more than a century ago".
More from US
He added: "Johnson's imprisonment forced him into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice, and continues to stand as a stain on our national honour."
Stallone, best known for the Rocky boxing series of films, is a supporter of the President and attended his 2016 New Year's Eve Party in Mar-a-Lago.
