Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on the 27th of August 1908, in a small farmhouse near Stonewall, Texas. His family lived on the Pedernales River where the soil was so rocky that it was hard to earn a living from it. Biographer Robert Caro described his upbringing as being raised in a land without electricity. He grew up poor after his father lost a great deal of money. Johnson had one brother named Sam Houston and three sisters including Rebekah and Josefa. He was not given a name until he was three months old because his parents could not agree on what to call him. Finally, they named him after W. C. Linden who was a county lawyer his father liked. His mother agreed on the condition of spelling it as Lyndon instead of Lindon.
Johnson became Senate majority leader in 1954 after serving as Democratic whip since 1951. He developed a method of persuasion known as The Treatment to control legislation. Two journalists described this technique as central to his power over other senators. Bobby Baker claimed that Johnson would occasionally send senators on NATO trips so they were absent and unable to cast dissenting votes. He used his political influence to receive broadcast licenses for his wife while serving as chairman of the Senate Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee. During the Korean War which began in 1950, he called for more troops and improved weapons. He was obsessed with having all subcommittee reports be unanimous and maneuvered frequently to gain Republican backing. Biographers Caro and Dallek consider him the most effective Senate majority leader ever known.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on the 22nd of November 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Johnson took the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One. He was sworn in by District Court judge Sarah T. Hughes who is to date the only woman to swear in a president. Cecil Stoughton captured an iconic photograph of Johnson taking the oath while Mrs. Kennedy looked on. This image remains the most famous photo ever taken aboard a presidential aircraft. Johnson established a commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren to investigate the assassination. The commission conducted research and hearings and unanimously concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Although Johnson publicly supported these findings, he privately expressed skepticism about them. In 1967 he told his advisor W. Marvin Watson that he was convinced the CIA was involved in some way.
By early 1964, Johnson had begun using the name Great Society to describe his domestic program. His administration declared an unconditional war on poverty in America during the 1964 State of the Union Address. National poverty declined significantly with the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line dropping from 23 percent to 12 percent. In August 1964, Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act which created the Office of Economic Opportunity. Each Community Action Agency required maximum feasible participation from local residents. By the end of 1965, 2,000 volunteers had signed up for Volunteers in Service to America. He also signed legislation establishing Medicare and Medicaid through the Social Security Amendments of 1965. These programs now cover tens of millions of Americans today.
Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2 after overcoming a Senate filibuster. The act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex. It prohibited racial segregation in public accommodations and employment discrimination. Following Bloody Sunday on the 7th of March 1965, when state police shot tear gas into demonstrators, Johnson sent voting rights legislation to Congress immediately. The House approved the bill by a vote of 333 to 85 while the Senate passed it by 79 to 18. Between 1964 and 1967, African American voter registration rates in Mississippi rose from 6.7 percent to 59.8 percent. After the murder of civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo, Johnson arrested four Ku Klux Klan members implicated in her death. He was the first president since Ulysses S. Grant to arrest and prosecute members of the Klan.
Johnson began his presidency with near-universal support but his approval declined throughout his term. Public frustration grew over both the Vietnam War and domestic unrest including race riots. The credibility gap emerged as the press sensed a difference between what Johnson said in press conferences and what happened in Vietnam. By December 1966, his disapproval rating surpassed his approval rating for the first time. In January 1967, the number of strong supporters had plunged to just 16 percent from 25 percent four months prior. Johnson initially sought to run for re-election in 1968 but withdrew following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary. His foreign policy prioritized containment of communism which included escalating American military involvement in Vietnam.
Public opinion and academic assessments of Johnson's legacy have fluctuated greatly over decades. Historians rank him in the upper tier for 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 decisions especially regarding the Vietnam War. He retired to his Texas ranch after withdrawing from the 1968 election and kept a low public profile until he died on the 22nd of January 1973. The balance between transformative domestic achievements and controversial foreign policy failures defines how scholars view his presidency today.
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Common questions
When was Lyndon B. Johnson born and where did he grow up?
Lyndon B. Johnson was born on the 27th of August 1908 in a small farmhouse near Stonewall, Texas. He grew up poor on the Pedernales River where the soil was so rocky that it was hard to earn a living from it.
How did Lyndon B. Johnson become Senate majority leader and what method did he use?
Lyndon B. Johnson became Senate majority leader in 1954 after serving as Democratic whip since 1951. He developed a method of persuasion known as The Treatment to control legislation and gain Republican backing for subcommittee reports.
Who swore in Lyndon B. Johnson as president and when did this happen?
Lyndon B. Johnson took the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One on the 22nd of November 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. District Court judge Sarah T. Hughes swore him in and is to date the only woman to swear in a president.
What domestic programs did Lyndon B. Johnson sign into law during his presidency?
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act in August 1964 which created the Office of Economic Opportunity. He also signed legislation establishing Medicare and Medicaid through the Social Security Amendments of 1965.
When did Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and what did it accomplish?
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2 after overcoming a Senate filibuster. The act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex and prohibited racial segregation in public accommodations.
Why did Lyndon B. Johnson withdraw from the 1968 election and when did he die?
Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew from the 1968 election following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary due to declining approval ratings over the Vietnam War. He retired to his Texas ranch and died on the 22nd of January 1973.