Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President of the United States
(November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969)
Full Name: Lyndon Baines Johnson
Nickname: "LBJ"
Born: August 27, 1908, near Johnson City, Texas
Died: January 22, 1973, near Johnson City, Texas
Father: Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr. (1877-1937)
Mother: Rebekah Baines Johnson (1881-1958)
Married: Claudia "Lady Bird" Alta Taylor (1912-2007), on November 17, 1934
Children: Lynda Bird Johnson (1944- ); Luci Baines Johnson (1947- )
Religion: Disciples of Christ
Education: Graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College (1930) (now known as Texas State University-San Marcos)
Occupation: Teacher, public official
Political Party: Democrat
Other Government Positions:
- Congressional Secretary, 1931-37
- Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1937-49
- United States Senator, 1949-61
- Vice President, 1961-63 (under Kennedy)
Presidential Salary: $100,000/year + $50,000 expense account
Presidential Election Results:
Year Candidate Popular Votes Electoral Votes
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson 43,129,566 486
(map) Barry M. Goldwater 27,178,188 52
Vice President: Hubert H. Humphrey (1965-69)
Cabinet:
- Secretary of State
- Dean Rusk (1963-69)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- C. Douglas Dillon (1963-65)
Henry H. Fowler (1965-68)
Joseph W. Barr (1968-69) - Secretary of Defense
- Robert S. McNamara (1963-68)
Clark M. Clifford (1968-69) - Attorney General
- Robert F. Kennedy (1963-65)
Nicholas Katzenbach (1965-67)
Ramsey Clark (1967-69) - Postmaster General
- John A. Gronouski (1963-65)
Lawrence F. O'Brien (1965-68)
W. Marvin Watson (1968-69) - Secretary of the Interior
- Stewart L. Udall (1963-69)
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Orville L. Freeman (1963-69)
- Secretary of Commerce
- Luther H. Hodges (1963-65)
John T. Connor (1965-67)
Alexander B. Trowbridge (1967-68)
Cyrus R. Smith (1968-69) - Secretary of Labor
- W. Willard Wirtz (1963-69)
- Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Anthony J. Celebrezze (1963-65)
John W. Gardner (1965-68)
Wilbur J. Cohen (1968-69) - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Robert C. Weaver (1966-69)
Robert C. Wood (1969) - Secretary of Transportation
- Alan S. Boyd (1967-69)
Supreme Court Justices:
Abe Fortas (1965-1969)
Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991)
Notable Events:
- 1963
- On November 29, Johnson created a commission to investigate Kennedy's assassination chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren.
- 1964
- On May 22, in a speech at the University of Michigan, Johnson announced his intention to create a Great Society.
- On July 2, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- On August 7, in response to an incident with the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin five days earlier, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving Johnson the power to pursue military action in Vietnam.
- On September 27, the Warren Commission released its report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
- 1965
- On February 9, bombing began in North Vietnam.
- On February 21, Malcolm X assassinated.
- On July 30, Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 creating Medicare and Medicaid.
- On August 5, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.
- 1967
- On October 2, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court justice.
- 1968
- On January 22, North Korean forces captured the U.S.S. Pueblo.
- On January 30, North Vietnam launched a major offensive during the Tet (Vietnamese New Year) holiday.
- On March 31, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection.
- On March 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated.
- On June 5, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy assassinated in California.
Internet Biographies:
- Lyndon B. Johnson -- from The Presidents of the United States of America
- Compiled by the White House.
- Lyndon B. Johnson -- from The American President
- From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
- Lyndon B. Johnson -- from Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Facts about Johnson and his presidency.
- Lyndon B. Johnson -- from Character Above All
- From a PBS broadcast of the same name, this essay excerpt by Robert Dallek discusses some of the issues and events that molded Johnson.
Videos:
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Lyndon B. Johnson: The 36th President of the United States | BiographyLBJ Pranks Visitors to His Ranch - a Presidential Story Ep. 18LBJ Declined Renomination for President - a Presidential Story Ep. 69The life and times of LBJAmerica's Presidents - Lyndon B. Johnson1 / 3
Historical Documents:
- Inaugural Address (1965)
- Let Us Continue (1963)
- The Great Society (1964)
- Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)
- We Shall Overcome (1965)
- Johns Hopkins University Speech (1965)
- Renunciation Speech (1968)
- Lyndon Baines Johnson Digital Collections - from the Library of Congress
Other Internet Resources:
- The Best Biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson
- In 2012, Stephen Floyd started his search for the best biography of each president. He usually has reviews of multiple biographies for each president.
- The Great Society at 50
- This article by Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post evaluates the success of the Great Society 50 years later.
- Health and Medical History of Lyndon Johnson
- Medical background of each president with references. Compiled by John Sotos, MD.
- Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum
- The Austin, Texas site for the Johnson archives, museum exhibits, and events. Tour information also available.
- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site
- Located west of Johnson City, Texas, this park hosts the LBJ Ranch (also called the Texas White House), the Johnson Settlement and his boyhood home.
- Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park
- Located in "the heart of Johnson country", this park provides camping, fishing, history and more. Visitor information and directions are available.
Points of Interest:
2313 Red River Street, Austin, Texas
1048 Park Road #49, Stonewall, TX 78671
199 Park Road 52, Stonewall, TX 78671
2313 Red River Street, Austin, Texas
1048 Park Road #49, Stonewall, TX 78671
199 Park Road 52, Stonewall, TX 78671
Additional Facts:
- Johnson was the first president sworn in by a woman - Judge Sarah Hughes.
- Johnson was the first president to be awarded the Silver Star.
- Johnson was the first president to have been the Senate Majority Leader.
- Johnson voted against every civil right bill between 1937 and 1956. He strongly switched course in 1957 by pushing through the first civil right bill passed since 1875.
- Johnson was the first president to appoint a Black Supreme Court justice - Thurgood Marshall.
- Johnson was the first president to appoint a Black cabinet member - Robert C. Weaver led the new Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Quotes:“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
“If we succeed, it will not be because of what we have, but it will be because of what we are; not because of what we own, but, rather because of what we believe.”
“A president’s hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.”
“You ain’t learnin’ nothin’ when you’re talkin’.”
“If government is to serve any purpose it is to do for others what they are unable to do for themselves.”
“We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors.”
“The guns and the bombs, the rockets and the warships, are all symbols of human failure.”
“Doing what’s right isn’t the problem. It is knowing what’s right.”
“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but to stand there and take it.”
“One lesson you better learn if you want to be in politics is that you never go out on a golf course and beat the President.”
“I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help – and God’s.”
“If the American people don’t love me, their descendants will.”
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
“If we succeed, it will not be because of what we have, but it will be because of what we are; not because of what we own, but, rather because of what we believe.”
“A president’s hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.”
“You ain’t learnin’ nothin’ when you’re talkin’.”
“If government is to serve any purpose it is to do for others what they are unable to do for themselves.”
“We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors.”
“The guns and the bombs, the rockets and the warships, are all symbols of human failure.”
“Doing what’s right isn’t the problem. It is knowing what’s right.”
“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but to stand there and take it.”
“One lesson you better learn if you want to be in politics is that you never go out on a golf course and beat the President.”
“I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help – and God’s.”
“If the American people don’t love me, their descendants will.”