Lyndon B. Johnson

"Lyndon Johnson" and "LBJ" redirect here. For the American football player, see Lyndon Johnson (American football). For other uses, see LBJ (disambiguation).

Lyndon Baines Johnson (/ˈlɪndən ˈbeɪnz/; August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as 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.

Lyndon B. Johnson
Official portrait, 1964
36th President of the United States
In office November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
Vice President	None (1963–1965)[lower-alpha 1] Hubert Humphrey (1965–1969)
Preceded by	John F. Kennedy
Succeeded by	Richard Nixon
37th Vice President of the United States
In office January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
President	John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Richard Nixon
Succeeded by	Hubert Humphrey
United States Senator from Texas
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961
Preceded by	W. Lee O'Daniel
Succeeded by	William A. Blakley
Senate positions Senate Majority Leader In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1961 Whip Earle C. Clements Mike Mansfield Preceded by William F. Knowland Succeeded by Mike Mansfield Senate Minority Leader In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 Whip Earle C. Clements Preceded by Styles Bridges Succeeded by William F. Knowland Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1961 Preceded by Ernest McFarland Succeeded by Mike Mansfield Senate Majority Whip In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953 Leader Ernest McFarland Preceded by Francis J. Myers Succeeded by Leverett Saltonstall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th district
In office April 10, 1937 – January 3, 1949
Preceded by	James P. Buchanan
Succeeded by	Homer Thornberry
Personal details
Born	Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-08-27)August 27, 1908 Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 22, 1973(1973-01-22) (aged 64) Gillespie County, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Johnson Family Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1934)​
Children	Lynda Luci
Parent	Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. (father)
Relatives	George Washington Baines (great-grandfather) Philip Bobbitt (nephew)
Education	Southwest Texas State Teachers College (BS)
Occupation	Politician teacher
Civilian awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously, 1980)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1940–1941 (inactive) 1941–1942 (active) 1942–1964 (reserve)
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	World War II Salamaua–Lae campaign
Military awards	Silver Star

Born in Stonewall, Texas, Johnson worked as a teacher and a congressional aide before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1937. In 1948, he was controversially declared the 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. Senator Kennedy bested Johnson and his other rivals for the 1960 Democratic presidential 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. Due to his domestic agenda, Johnson's presidency marked the peak of modern American liberalism in the 20th century.^[2] Johnson's foreign policy prioritized containment of communism, including in the ongoing Vietnam War.

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, including race riots in major cities and increasing crime. Johnson initially sought to run for re-election; however, following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary he withdrew his candidacy. Johnson retired to his Texas ranch and died in 1973. Public opinion and academic assessments of Johnson's legacy have fluctuated greatly. 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 heavily criticized for his foreign policy, namely escalating American involvement in the Vietnam War.^[3][4]

A seven-year-old Johnson, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, at his childhood farmhouse near Stonewall, Texas, in 1915

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, near Stonewall, Texas, in a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River.^[5] He was the eldest of five children born to Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines.^[6][7] Johnson wasn't given a name until he was three months old, as his parents couldn't agree on a name that both liked. Finally, he was named after "criminal lawyer—a county lawyer" W. C. Linden, who his father liked; his mother agreed on the condition of spelling it as Lyndon.^[8][9] Johnson had one brother, Sam Houston Johnson, and three sisters, Rebekah, Josefa, and Lucia.^[10] Through his mother, he was a great-grandson of Baptist clergyman George Washington Baines.^[11]

Johnson's paternal grandfather, Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr., was raised Baptist and for a time was a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In his later years, Samuel Sr. became a Christadelphian; Samuel Jr. also joined the Christadelphian Church toward the end of his life.^[12] Johnson was influenced in his positive attitude toward Jews by the religious beliefs that his family, especially his grandfather, had shared with him.^[13]

Johnson grew up poor, with his father losing a great deal of money.