Johnson, Lyndon B. (1908–1973)

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) served as the 36th president of the United States and led the nation during a time of major changes in social, cultural, and political values. Assuming national power in the early 1950s, for nearly 2 decades Lyndon Johnson was a major force in shaping domestic legislation. Foreign policy, dominated by deepening American involvement in the Vietnam War during his presidency, cast a shadow on his domestic agenda and forced Johnson to retire from public life and not seek a second term as president.

Born and raised in rural Texas, Johnson trained to be a teacher but found politics too inviting. He worked on Capitol Hill in the early 1930s as a legislative aide and was elected to the House of Representatives as ...