Surname 6 Name Professor’s name Class name Date due Lyndon B. Johnson Born on August 27, 1908 in Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson went on to serve as the 36th president of the United States between 1963 and 1969. Popularly known as LBJ, Lyndon was a democrat who also served as a Senator and United States representative. Lyndon’s family had deep Texan roots and was among the earliest settlers in Lone Star State. The family had engaged in cotton farming and cattle rearing, and had also served as soldiers for the Confederacy. Lyndon’s parents were Sam and Rebekah Baines Johnson, and he was the first born in the family of five children. His mother was refined and reserved while his father was a conversationalist and an idealist, and often strived to do a lot more than just farm work. At only twenty-seven, Sam Johnson clinched a position in the Texas legislature where he served for five terms (Gold, 2008). When Lyndon was growing up, he had a compassion for the poor people living in rural areas, which followed him even as he was at the Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now called Texas State University), and also learnt a lot about discrimination when he was a teacher of Mexican student in Cotulla, Texas. In 1937, Lyndon campaigned to join the House of Representatives, which he won through the support of his wife, Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor. During his campaign, he was quite vocal in promoting the New Deal agenda, which was quite successful. During the Second World War, Lyndon served briefly as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. His commitment and excellence in his work enabled him to receive a Silver Star in the South Pacific. Lyndon became a Senator in 1948 after he had served for six terms in the House. Five years later, he got to serve in the position of Minority Leader, becoming the youngest person to serve in that capacity in Senate history. In the year that followed, he got to serve as the Majority Leader when the Democrats won control of the (House Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2015). Lyndon was quite skillful and competent in legislative roles as he managed to ensure passage of several significant measures when Eisenhower was in power. Many people still consider him to be the most influential Leader of Majority of the twentieth century. During the campaign of 1960, Johnson was elected to the position of Vice President, as he was John F. Kennedy's running mate. Lyndon Baines Johnson became the president of the United States when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas (Dallek, 2005). Lyndon’s family abandoned farming in 1913, and relocated to nearby Johnson City. Although his family house was relatively comfortable by rural South standards at the time, it neither had indoor plumbing nor electricity. However, Lyndon was determined to work hard for a better future. When he was only twelve, he actually told his classmates that he would one day become the president of the United States. The journey out of the Te ...

1. Surname 6
Name
Professor’s name
Class name
Date due
Lyndon B. Johnson
Born on August 27, 1908 in Texas, Lyndon Baines
Johnson went on to serve as the 36th president of the United
States between 1963 and 1969. Popularly known as LBJ,
Lyndon was a democrat who also served as a Senator and
United States representative. Lyndon’s family had deep Texan
roots and was among the earliest settlers in Lone Star State. The
family had engaged in cotton farming and cattle rearing, and
had also served as soldiers for the Confederacy. Lyndon’s
parents were Sam and Rebekah Baines Johnson, and he was the
first born in the family of five children. His mother was refined
and reserved while his father was a conversationalist and an
idealist, and often strived to do a lot more than just farm work.
At only twenty-seven, Sam Johnson clinched a position in the
Texas legislature where he served for five terms (Gold, 2008).
When Lyndon was growing up, he had a compassion for the
poor people living in rural areas, which followed him even as he
was at the Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now called
Texas State University), and also learnt a lot about
discrimination when he was a teacher of Mexican student in
Cotulla, Texas.
In 1937, Lyndon campaigned to join the House of
Representatives, which he won through the support of his wife,
Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor. During his campaign, he was quite
vocal in promoting the New Deal agenda, which was quite
successful. During the Second World War, Lyndon served
briefly as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. His commitment
and excellence in his work enabled him to receive a Silver Star

2. in the South Pacific. Lyndon became a Senator in 1948 after he
had served for six terms in the House. Five years later, he got to
serve in the position of Minority Leader, becoming the youngest
person to serve in that capacity in Senate history. In the year
that followed, he got to serve as the Majority Leader when the
Democrats won control of the (House Miller Center of Public
Affairs, 2015). Lyndon was quite skillful and competent in
legislative roles as he managed to ensure passage of several
significant measures when Eisenhower was in power. Many
people still consider him to be the most influential Leader of
Majority of the twentieth century. During the campaign of 1960,
Johnson was elected to the position of Vice President, as he was
John F. Kennedy's running mate. Lyndon Baines Johnson
became the president of the United States when John F.
Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas
(Dallek, 2005).
Lyndon’s family abandoned farming in 1913, and relocated to
nearby Johnson City. Although his family house was relatively
comfortable by rural South standards at the time, it neither had
indoor plumbing nor electricity. However, Lyndon was
determined to work hard for a better future. When he was only
twelve, he actually told his classmates that he would one day
become the president of the United States. The journey out of
the Texas Hill Country would however come with numerous
challenges. For instance, school at the time was a one-
classroom, one-teacher affair. Besides, he had to ride a mule for
three miles to Johnson City High School, which was quite
tedious and challenging. Lyndon was the leader of his senior
class, which comprised of six students. He graduated in 1924.
His father experienced major financial troubles, which
negatively affected his family. Therefore, the family struggled
to pay for his courses at Southwest Texas State Teachers
College in an effort to enhance his scanty rural education
(Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2015). However, he did not
perform well, thus missing an opportunity to join college after
finishing high school. This caused Lyndon to drift for a while,

3. he seemed to have lost track of his life and dreams during this
period. Together with five of his friends, he bought a car and
relocated to California, where he did several odd jobs and at
some point, temporarily worked in his cousin's law firm. Later
on, Lyndon then went back to Texas where he worked as a
manual laborer constructing roads. During this period, he was
involved in reckless drinking and many fights, which eventually
caused him problems with authorities, leading to his arrest.
When he was freed, he considered pursuing a career in teaching,
and in 1927, he joined the Southwest Texas State Teachers
College.
Lyndon was not a focused student, but he enthusiastically
pursued extracurricular activities such as debating, student
government, and journalism. However, he performed well in his
student teaching, which enabled him to get an opportunity to
work in a small Hispanic school in a remote region. Lyndon’s
presence at the school in Cotulla was quite influential as he
literally renewed the hope and empowered the neglected
students, enabling them to take pride in their accomplishments.
This enabled Lyndon to earn impressive references. He
graduated in 1930, at a time when America beginning to
experience the Great Depression. He earned an annual salary of
$1,530 in his first teaching job, which was quite low. However,
he still managed to do an excellent job although he was
developing other ambitions in his unpaid political work, which
he was doing during his spare time. His career in teaching was
short-lived as he opted to engage in political work. In his early
years in politics, he was deeply involved in campaigning for his
father’s friend who was a local politician. His efforts did not go
unnoticed as he soon managed to get a job as an aide to Richard
Kleberg of Corpus Christi, who was a U.S. Congressman.
Lyndon went to demonstrate exemplary even when he was in
Washington, where he upheld high work ethic, ensuring to
adhere to all details of congressional protocol (Miller Center of
Public Affairs 2015). He proved to be a model assistant in that
his ambition, competence, and drive enabled him to stand out

4. among his peers in Washington at the time. In 1934, Lyndon
met Claudia Alta Taylor, a twenty-one-year-old lady who had
just graduated from the University of Texas. Taylor came from
a wealthy family in East Texas. The two tied the knot three
months later.
In 1937, Lyndon resigned from his position as the state director
of the National Youth Administration, seeking a position at the
Congress to represent his home district. He was only twenty-
eight years when he won that position. As a congressman, he
managed to bring numerous improvements such as electricity to
his home district. Although he lost in his first bid for the Senate
in 1941, he won it in the 1948 elections. As a Senator, he
worked incessantly; contributing a lot to the passage of Civil
Rights Act of 1957, which was quite a significant move in
American History. Lyndon’s efforts were also significant in
promoting the Space Race (Dallek, 2005). By 1960, he had
failed twice in his bid to clinch the vice presidential
nomination, and resolved to aim for the highest seat. However,
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), the youthful, sharp, and
affluent Senator from Massachusetts won in the presidential
nominations to compete with Richard Nixon. However, Kennedy
turned to Lyndon in a bid to ensure geographical and political
and balance to his ticket. Lyndon’s presence was significant as
it helped to win several key states in the South, enabling JFK to
win in that election, albeit by a small margin. Lyndon never
seemed contented with the vice presidency position, but he
made significant efforts in overseeing a nuclear test ban
agreement, heading the space program, and working toward
ensuring equal opportunity for all Americans, especially for
racial minorities. However, Lyndon was a frustrated man
because he was not close enough to Kennedy, which means he
lacked much influence. When Kennedy was assassinated in
1963, Lyndon assumed presidency later on the same afternoon.
When he was sworn in, he resolved to endorse all the programs
that Kennedy had initiated. He worked towards the civil rights
bill, tax cuts, and resolved to eradicate poverty “War on

5. Poverty.” During the 1964 presidential elections, Lyndon ran
against Barry Goldwater, a Republican conservative, winning by
one of the biggest margins in American history. When he
became president, he facilitated the Medicare program, invested
heavily in the reconstruction of cities and in education as well
as ensured passage of three critical civil rights bills that
promoted better housing, voting, and commerce among racial
minorities. However, his popularity greatly diminished because
of his involvement in the Vietnam War, which seemed
unwinnable for America despite deploying many soldiers and
investing heavily in firearms (Dallek, 1996). On 31st March
1968, Lyndon stated that he would not be up for presidential
nominations for that year. He died of heart attack shortly after
his retirement on 22nd January 1973 (The White House, n.d).
Works Cited
Dallek, Robert. (1996). Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam: The
Making of a Tragedy. Diplomatic History vol. 20 Issue 2,
pp.147-162.
Dallek, Robert. (2005). Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a
President. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gold, Susan Dudley. (2008). Lyndon B. Johnson: Presidents and
their times. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish.
Miller Center of Public Affairs. Lyndon B. Johnson: Life in
Brief. 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
The White House. Lyndon B. Johnson. n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.