American politician, the 36th U.S. President; a vice-president who took over after the tragic Kennedy assassination in Dallas, TX on 23 November 1963. He won a landslide victory against Barry Goldwater for his second term in 1964. Johnson proclaimed the “Great Society” program to fight poverty and racism in the country. His domestic agenda consisted of many social welfare programs such as Medicare to help under-privileged Americans. On the international front, Johnson was leading Americans deeper into the unpopular Vietnam War. The controversy over the Vietnam conflict made Johnson pull out of running for another presidential term in 1968.
He was the son of Sam Ealy Johnson and Rebekah Baines, Texas school teachers. Johnson enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers College and graduated with a B.A. in 1930. Interested in the Texas Democratic Party politics, Johnson became known in the community as a strong supporter of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. He won his first election campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1937.
Johnson was the first Congressman to enlist for active duty just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He narrowly won the Texas Senate seat in 1948. Known to his colleagues as a deal-maker, Johnson was able to persuade others to support progressive policies. As the majority whip in the Senate from 1955-1961, Johnson helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and made the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a priority when he became President. In 1960, he was tapped as John F. Kennedy’s running mate.
Johnson met Lady Bird Johnson coming home from a Washington DC. trip. They married on 17 November 1934 in San Antonio and honeymooned in Mexico. Lady Bird came from an upper middle-class Texas family and she borrowed from her inheritance to help finance his first run for Congress. They had two daughters, Lynda born in 1944 and Luci in 1947.
LBJ was larger than life in the public’s eye. A bold, loud deal-making political figure, he epitomized the strong Western cowboy from the Texas hill country. His southern drawl, jug ears, large nose, and country boy veneer made him a favorite subject of political cartoonists. In his private life, Johnson was considered vulgar, bearish, restless, and impatient. He upset animal lovers in 1964 by lifting one of his beagles by its ears in front of the press. In 1965, he lifted his shirt to display the scars of his gall bladder and kidney stone operations. Despite his coarse mannerisms, Johnson was sensitive to the plight of poor Americans and made every effort to alleviate hunger in the U.S.
Johnson retired from politics in 1968 and returned to his San Antonio, TX ranch to write his memoirs. He died on 22 January 1973 in San Antonio, TX.
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