Born: 1908, near Stonewall, TX
Died: 1973

Ever-mindful of his own impoverished childhood, Lyndon Johnson devoted himself to bringing dignity and justice to the poor. After teaching briefly he found his calling in politics. In 1937, the young Texan was elected to Congress, where he seized every opportunity to advance his programs and political future. After 12 years in the House, interrupted only be naval service during World War II, he moved to the Senate and was Majority Leader in 1960 when Kennedy picked him for his running mate. Three years later, Kennedy’s assassination thrust LBJ into the White House.

President Johnson pressed on with the Kennedy agenda, including passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and won the 1964 election with a record 61% of the vote. LBJ then introduced his own “Great Society” program. Declaring a “war on poverty,” he called for urban renewal, aid to education, and Medicare for the elderly. But it was the war in Vietnam that came to dominate his Presidency. Though never declared, the war to save South Vietnam from the communist North escalated steadily under LBJ, costing thousands of American lives and causing bitter protest at home. His popularity shattered, LBJ refused to seek re-election. In his last year in office, America was rocked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, and by urban race riots.

Thirty-Sixth President
Democrat