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- Johnson was indeed from humble origins. He was born on August 27, 1908, in Stonewall, Texas. The Johnson family had been in the area for generations, but Johnson’s father had financial problems, and the future President grew up under difficult circumstances.
- Johnson’s first career was as a teacher. As a student at Southwest Texas State Teachers College, Johnson was assigned to a tiny Hispanic school in a deeply impoverished area on the Mexican border.
- Johnson’s political ambitions were clear early in his career. His father had served in the Texas state legislature, and Johnson became a congressional aide in 1931.
- Johnson was the “surrogate son” of powerful House Speaker Sam Rayburn. The legendary Rayburn had served in the Texas legislature with Johnson’s father, and Rayburn backed Johnson’s fast rise as a leader within Congress.
- He Began His Career as A Teacher.
- Johnson’s Career Took Off in The Senate, But He Almost Died in The Process.
- He Was An Outsider in The Kennedy White House.
- In January 1964, He Declared War on Poverty.
- Johnson’s Wife, Lady Bird, Was Key to His Success.
Johnson was born in 1908 in Stonewall, Texas, as the oldest of five children. Though his father had served in the state legislature, he had lost money in cotton speculation, and the family often struggled to make ends meet. The young Johnson drifted for a few years after high school but enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1927. Du...
In 1953, Johnson became Senate minority leader, and after Democrats regained control of the Senate two years later, he became majority leader. Johnson excelled at forming the Senate Democrats into a united bloc, while charming, flattering and otherwise convincing colleagues from both sides of the aisle. In mid-1955, the 49-year-old suffered a sever...
After losing a bitter primary fight in 1960, Johnson shocked nearly everyone by signing on as running mate to Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. As a Protestant Southerner and the consummate insider in Congress, Johnson balanced the ticket, helping Kennedy capture Texas, Louisiana and the Carolinas in his narrow defeat of Richard Nixon. But Joh...
In his first State of the Union address, Johnson declared an “unconditional war” on poverty in the United States, announcing that “Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.” He spearheaded legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid, expanding Social Security, making the food stamps program...
Claudia Alta Taylor, known as Lady Bird from childhood, married Johnson shortly after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied history and journalism. She became an undeniable asset to his rising political career, not least because of her considerable family fortune. In 1960, Lady Bird Johnson traveled some 30,000 miles ...
- Sarah Pruitt
- HE STARTED OUT AS A TEACHER. To pay for his time at Southwest Texas State Teachers College (which is now Texas State University), Johnson taught for nine months at a segregated school for Mexican-American children south of San Antonio.
- HE WAS ALSO A JANITOR. Johnson not only shared in the unfortunate tradition among teachers of using his own paycheck to pay for classroom supplies, he also wore multiple hats during his tenure as an educator.
- HE HAD A HEAD START IN POLITICS. Johnson’s father, Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr., was a member of the Texas State House of Representatives for nine non-consecutive years.
- HE WAS AWARDED A SILVER STAR DURING WWII. Johnson won election to the United States House of Representatives in 1937, representing a district that encompassed Austin and the surrounding hill country.
- Son of a Politician. Lyndon Baines Johnson was the son of Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr., a member of the Texas legislature for 11 years. Despite being in politics, the family was not wealthy.
- Lady Bird Johnson, Savvy First Lady. Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor was highly intelligent and successful. She earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Texas in 1933 and 1934, successively.
- Silver Star. While serving as a U.S. Representative, Johnson joined the navy to fight in World War II. He was an observer on a bombing mission where the plane's generator went out and they had to turn around.
- Youngest Democratic Majority Leader. In 1937, Johnson was elected as a representative. In 1949, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. By 1955, at the age of 46, he became the youngest Democratic majority leader up to that time.
Oct 29, 2023 · The Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of Lyndon B. Johnson’s most significant achievements as President was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of This landmark legislation outlawed racial segregation and discrimination, and it remains a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights. The “Great Society” Programs.
Oct 29, 2009 · Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th president of the United States and was sworn into office following the November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Upon taking office, Johnson, also...
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Apr 2, 2014 · Gender: Male. Best Known For: Lyndon B. Johnson was elected vice president of the United States in 1960 and became the 36th president in 1963, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy...
