- Born
- Died
- Birth nameLyndon Baines Johnson
- Nicknames
- LBJ
- L.B.J.
- Landslide Lyndon
- Johnson, Light Bulb
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Height6′ 3½″ (1.92 m)
- Lyndon Baines Johnson 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 had previously served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 under President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative, U.S. senator and the Senate's majority leader. He holds the distinction of being one of the few presidents who served in all elected offices at the federal level.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Bonitao
- Johnson grew up in poor circumstances. In 1913, the family sold their farm in Stonewall and moved a few miles away to Johnson City, where young Lyndon attended Johnson City High School. In 1924 he successfully completed high school. He began studying at the teachers' college in San Marcos, which he financed and successfully completed by teaching Mexican-American children. He then taught as a teacher in Pearsall, Texas, and in Houston high schools. In 1931 he began his political career in Washington (D.C.) as secretary to Texas Congressman Richard Kleberg. In 1934, Johnson married Claudia Taylor of Karnak, Texas. In 1935 he became the head of the National Youth Administration for Texas. After being elected to the US Congress for Texas in 1937, Johnson became President Franklin Roosevelt's personal confidant. In 1942 he temporarily interrupted his political functions to join the Navy and take part in the war.
In 1949, Johnson was elected to the Senate for Texas, whose politics he decisively influenced as a leading representative of the Democrats until 1961. Here he stood out as a convinced supporter of reforms. In 1961, Lyndon B. Johnson became vice president under President John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963, he took over the reins of government as US President. He was overwhelmingly confirmed in the 1964 presidential election. He now developed his concept of the "Great Society", which envisaged reform measures in the health and education systems as well as initiatives for social housing and urban redevelopment. Johnson also implemented the desired social reforms; The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act gave the black population complete constitutional equality for the first time. However, in the domestic political sphere, the racial problems that remained unresolved were soon combined with the awakening student protests that were motivated by American foreign policy.
In the area of foreign policy, Johnson's presidency was characterized by the USA's increasing involvement in the Vietnam War, which in turn had a social and financial impact on the internal conditions in the USA and made the reform policy there partially ineffective. Under the pressure of public protests, Johnson was forced to forgo running again in the new presidential election campaign on March 31, 1968 as a result of persistent military failures. Before the end of his term in office, he ended American military operations in Vietnam in May 1968 with the announcement of peace talks in Paris. After the election of his successor Richard Nixon, Johnson retired to his farm near San Antonio, Texas.
Lyndon Baines Johnson died of a heart attack in San Antonio, Texas on January 22, 1973.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth - Lyndon Baines Johnson is an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Formerly the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Lyndon Johnson also served as a United States Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpouseLady Bird Johnson(November 17, 1934 - January 22, 1973) (his death, 2 children)
- Children
- Texas accent
- Outspoken intimidating personality
- Known for speaking in clear certain terms with use of Southern metaphors and casual swearing
- His height
- Combed-back hair
- One day after he died, a ceasefire in Vietnam was reached.
- It took him several hours to realize he was experiencing his first heart attack.
- First member of Congress to enlist in the armed forces in World War II; served briefly in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, winning a Silver Star in the South Pacific.
- Robert F. Kennedy, the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy who was JFK's Attorney General and then a Senator from New York, harbored a strong dislike for Johnson, a feeling that was mutual.
- The only U.S. President to attempt to end national poverty.
- I accepted the second spot because I'm a gambling man. I did my research and one in four dies in office.
- I felt I was a trustee to carry on after he [assassinated President John F. Kennedy] had been taken from us. After I finished the execution of his dream, I had some of my own.
- [About President John F. Kennedy's assassination] "We heard some sounds. Some thought it was a firecracker, some thought it was a gun, but the next thing I knew we were on our way to the hospital. The president was wounded. The greatest shock that I can recall was one of the men saying 'He's gone'. It was suggested that we go the the planes as quickly as we could and that we get to Washington as quickly as we could. We had decided that we would wait until Mrs. Kennedy and President Kennedy's body were onboard. We were there 15 minutes before I took the oath"
- [March 31, 1968, announcing his decision not to seek re-election] I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.
- [in 1964, paraphrasing his presidential opponent Barry Goldwater] Extremism in the pursuit of the presidency is an unpardonable vice. Moderation in the affairs of the nation is the highest virtue.
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