Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson in 1964
36th President of the United States
In office
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
Vice President
Preceded byJohn F. Kennedy
Succeeded byRichard Nixon
37th Vice President of the United States
In office
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Preceded byRichard Nixon
Succeeded byHubert Humphrey
Senate Majority Leader
In office
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1961
WhipEarle C. Clements
Mike Mansfield
Preceded byWilliam F. Knowland
Succeeded byMike Mansfield
Senate Minority Leader
In office
January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
WhipEarle C. Clements
Preceded byStyles Bridges
Succeeded byWilliam F. Knowland
Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1961
Preceded byErnest McFarland
Succeeded byMike Mansfield
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953
LeaderErnest McFarland
Preceded byFrancis J. Myers
Succeeded byLeverett Saltonstall
United States Senator
from Texas
In office
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961
Preceded byW. Lee O'Daniel
Succeeded byWilliam A. Blakley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 10th district
In office
April 10, 1937 – January 3, 1949
Preceded byJames P. Buchanan
Succeeded byHomer Thornberry
Personal details
Born
Lyndon Baines Johnson

(1908-08-27)August 27, 1908
Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 1973(1973-01-22) (aged 64)
Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeJohnson Family Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1934)
RelationsPhilip Bobbitt (nephew)
Children
Parents
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • teacher
Civilian awardsPresidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously, 1980)
SignatureCursive signature in ink
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service
  • 1940–1941 (inactive)
  • 1941–1942 (active)
  • 1942–1964 (reserve)
Rank Commander
Battles/wars
Military awardsSilver Star

Lyndon Baines Johnson (/ˈlɪndən ˈbnz/; August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative and U.S. senator.

Born in Stonewall, Texas, Johnson worked as a high school teacher and a congressional aide before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1937. In 1948, he was controversially declared winner in the Democratic Party's primary for the 1948 Senate election in Texas and won the general election.[1] He became Senate majority whip in 1951, Senate Democratic leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1954. In 1960, Johnson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. Ultimately, Senator Kennedy bested Johnson and his other rivals for the nomination before surprising many by offering to make Johnson his vice presidential running mate. The Kennedy–Johnson ticket won the general election. Vice President Johnson assumed the presidency in 1963, after President Kennedy was assassinated. The following year, Johnson was elected to the presidency in a landslide, winning the largest share of the popular vote for the Democratic Party in history, and the highest for any candidate since the advent of widespread popular elections in the 1820s.

Johnson's Great Society was aimed at expanding civil rights, public broadcasting, access to health care, aid to education and the arts, urban and rural development, and public services. He sought to create better living conditions for low-income Americans by spearheading the war on poverty. As part of these efforts, Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which resulted in the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Johnson made the Apollo program a national priority; enacted the Higher Education Act of 1965, which established federally insured student loans; and signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which laid the groundwork for U.S. immigration policy today. Johnson's stance on civil rights put him at odds with other white, Southern Democrats. His civil rights legacy was shaped by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. His foreign policy prioritized containment of communism, including in the ongoing Vietnam War. He launched a full-scale military intervention in Southeast Asia, dramatically increasing the number of American military personnel deployed; casualties soared among U.S. soldiers and Vietnam civilians. In 1968, the communist Tet Offensive inflamed the anti-war movement and public opinion turned against America's involvement in the war. In Europe, Johnson maintained the postwar policies of his predecessors, by continuing to promote and foster political integration and economic cooperation among Western European nations.[2]

During his presidency, the American political landscape transformed significantly,[3][4] as white Southerners who were once staunch Democrats began moving to the Republican Party[5][6] and Black voters who sporadically supported the Democrats prior to 1964 began shifting towards the party in historic numbers.[7][8] Due to his domestic agenda, Johnson's presidency marked the peak of modern American liberalism in the 20th century.[9] Johnson faced further troubles with race riots in major cities and increasing crime. His political opponents seized the opportunity and raised demands for "law and order" policies. Johnson began his presidency with near-universal support, but his approval declined throughout his presidency as the public became frustrated with both the Vietnam War and domestic unrest. Johnson initially sought to run for re-election; however, following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary he withdrew his candidacy. Johnson returned to his Texas ranch, where he died in 1973. Public opinion and academic assessments of his legacy have fluctuated greatly ever since. Historians and scholars rank Johnson in the upper tier for his accomplishments regarding domestic policy. His administration passed many major laws that made substantial changes in civil rights, health care, welfare, and education. Conversely, Johnson is strongly criticized for his foreign policy, namely presiding over escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War.[10][11]


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  1. ^ "Lyndon Baines Johnson, 37th Vice President (1961–1963)". US Senate. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Guderzo, Max (August 9, 2006). "Johnson and European integration: A missed chance for transatlantic power". Cold War History. 4 (2): 89–114. doi:10.1080/14682740412331391825. S2CID 154907129. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "George Wallace and the 1968 Election". umich.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Kalk, Bruce H. (1994). "Wormley's Hotel Revisited: Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy and the End of the Second Reconstruction". The North Carolina Historical Review. 71 (1): 85–105. ISSN 0029-2494. JSTOR 23521324.
  5. ^ Powell, John A. "The New Southern Strategy". Othering & Belonging Institute. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Mason, Robert (2005). ""I Was Going to Build a New Republican Party and a New Majority": Richard Nixon as Party Leader, 1969-73" (PDF). Journal of American Studies. 39 (3): 463–483. doi:10.1017/S0021875805000617. hdl:20.500.11820/361235a1-ebf6-45b0-b0f6-7be2e83e0767. ISSN 0021-8758. JSTOR 27557693. S2CID 146442665. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Brown, Frank (2004). "Nixon's "Southern Strategy" and Forces against Brown". The Journal of Negro Education. 73 (3): 191–208. doi:10.2307/4129605. ISSN 0022-2984. JSTOR 4129605.
  8. ^ Meier, August (1956). "The Negro and the Democratic Party, 1875-1915". Phylon. 17 (2): 173–191. doi:10.2307/272592. ISSN 0885-6818. JSTOR 272592.
  9. ^ "Biographies of Presidents – Lyndon Johnson". The Presidents of the USA. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ^ Dallek, Robert. "Presidency: How Do Historians Evaluate the Administration of Lyndon Johnson?". History News Network. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  11. ^ "Survey of Presidential Leadership – Lyndon Johnson". C-SPAN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2010.