Lyndon B. Johnson

President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 (1908-1973) · United States · Politicians · Died at 64

Lyndon B. Johnson is read about 7,592 times a day, in 148 languages.

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He inherited the presidency in the worst possible way and turned the shock into a legislative blitz - Medicare, the Voting Rights Act, the end of Jim Crow - before Vietnam burned through his credibility and drove him out of office.

Politicians Politician Politics Founders United States Americas 20th Century

A life in dates

1980Presidential Medal of FreedomAward1973Died22 January 19731965Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service AwardAward1964“Our government is united in its determination to take all necessary measures in support of freedom and in defense of peace in Southeast Asia.”In their words4 August 1964Report on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident (4 August 1964)Read the whole statement

“The purpose of protecting the life of our Nation and preserving the liberty of our citizens is to pursue the happiness of our people.”In their words22 May 1964The Great Society (May 22, 1964). Archived from the original on January 10, 2021.Read the whole statement

“Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty.”In their words22 May 1964The Great Society (May 22, 1964). Archived from the original on January 10, 2021.Read the whole statement

“This has been a year without precedent in the history of relations between the Executive and the Legislative Branches of our Government.”In their wordsCongressional Quarterly 1964: Vol 20 Table of Contents, P.66 An assessment made by Johnson of the record of the 88th congress on August theRead the whole statement

“And I just want to tell you this - we're in favor of a lot of things and we're against mighty few.”In their wordsCampaign statement (1964), as quoted in The Making of the President, 1964 (1966) by T. H. White, p. 413.Read the whole statement

Honorary Doctor of the Florida Atlantic UniversityAward1963President of the United StatesOffice1963-19691961Vice President of the United StatesOffice1961-19631949United States senatorOffice1949-19611948“This civil rights program about which you have heard so much is a farce and a sham; an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty. I am opposed to that program.”In their words22 May 1948Speech in Austin, Texas (22 May 1948), as quoted in Quotations from Chairman LBJ (1968)Read the whole statement

1937United States representativeOffice1937-19491908Born27 August 1908

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Johnson at age 7, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, at his childhood farmhouse near Stonewall, Texas, in 1915

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (left), Texas governor James Burr V Allred (center), and Johnson (right) in 1937; Johnson later used an edited version of this photo with Allred airbrushed out in his 1941 senatorial campaign.[30]

Johnson as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Reserve in March 1942 $Results of the Democratic runoff primary in the 1948 U.S. Senate election in Texas by county. Johnson squeaked out a controversial victory by 87 votes.[53] Johnson counties appear in blue, and Stevenson counties in green.[54]90%}}"},"2":{"wt":"{{legend|#1e1dbeff|Johnson - 80-90%}}"},"3":{"wt":"{{legend|#584cdeff|Johnson - 70-80%}}"},"4":{"wt":"{{legend|#6674deff|Johnson - 60-70%}}"},"5":{"wt":"{{legend|#7996e2ff|Johnson - 50-60%}}\n"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwAco"> Johnson .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Johnson - >90%  Johnson - 80-90%  Johnson - 70-80%  Johnson - 60-70%  Johnson - 50-60% 90%}}\n"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwAcs"> Stevenson   Stevenson - 50-60%  Stevenson - 60-70%  Stevenson - 70-80%  Stevenson - 80-90%  Stevenson - >90% No vote   No vote$ Results of the Democratic runoff primary in the 1948 U.S. Senate election in Texas by county. Johnson squeaked out a controversial victory by 87 votes.[53] Johnson counties appear in blue, and Stevenson counties in green.[54]90%}}"},"2":{"wt":"{{legend|#1e1dbeff|Johnson - 80-90%}}"},"3":{"wt":"{{legend|#584cdeff|Johnson - 70-80%}}"},"4":{"wt":"{{legend|#6674deff|Johnson - 60-70%}}"},"5":{"wt":"{{legend|#7996e2ff|Johnson - 50-60%}}\n"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwAco"> Johnson .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Johnson - >90%  Johnson - 80-90%  Johnson - 70-80%  Johnson - 60-70%  Johnson - 50-60% 90%}}\n"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwAcs"> Stevenson   Stevenson - 50-60%  Stevenson - 60-70%  Stevenson - 70-80%  Stevenson - 80-90%  Stevenson - >90% No vote   No vote

Johnson's United States Senate portrait in the 1950s

In their own words 10

Lyndon B. Johnson

10 statements, newest first

Our government is united in its determination to take all necessary measures in support of freedom and in defense of peace in Southeast Asia.
Aug 4, 1964, Report on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident (4 August 1964), Own words
The purpose of protecting the life of our Nation and preserving the liberty of our citizens is to pursue the happiness of our people.
May 22, 1964, The Great Society (May 22, 1964). Archived from the original on January 10, 2021., Own words
Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty.
May 22, 1964, The Great Society (May 22, 1964). Archived from the original on January 10, 2021., Own words

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Awards

Presidential Medal of Freedom1980

Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award1965

Honorary Doctor of the Florida Atlantic University1964

Silver Star

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Family

Parents

Lyndon B. Johnson

Partners

Spouse Lady Bird Johnson

Children

Sibling Sam Houston Johnson

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About this person

Born in Stonewall, Texas, in 1908, Johnson worked as a teacher and congressional aide before winning election to the U.S. House in 1937. He took a Senate seat in 1948 after a controversial Democratic primary, then climbed to majority leader by 1954. John F. Kennedy picked him as running mate in 1960, a surprise that put Johnson one heartbeat from power. When Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson assumed the presidency and won reelection the following year in a landslide - the largest popular vote share in Democratic history. His Great Society agenda reshaped the country: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, the Voting Rights Act, federal student loans, the Immigration and Nationality Act that still shapes policy today. But his foreign policy dragged him under. As Vietnam escalated and cities burned, his approval collapsed and a credibility gap opened that wouldn't close. After a disappointing New Hampshire primary in 1968, he withdrew from the race, retired to his Texas ranch, and died there in 1973.

Country

United States

In common with Lyndon

Elie WieselBoth received Honorary Doctor of the Florida Atlantic University

C. Farris BryantBoth received Honorary Doctor of the Florida Atlantic University

Politicians from the United States 4

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