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 a New Deal Democrat in 1937. He served briefly in World War II and was elected to the Senate in 1946. He was elected to a full Senate term in 1948, although corruption charges in the campaign followed him for years. He became the Senate Majority Leader in 1954 and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960. Losing to John Kennedy, he surprised many when he accepted Kennedy's invitation to be the vice presidential candidate. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 elevated Johnson to the presidency, and in 1964 he was elected in a landslide.

Although Johnson debated in high school and later coached debate, he was not noted for his public speaking [Page 359]prowess. Instead, he was a powerful communicator in interpersonal and small group interactions, often using what some aides called “the treatment” to gain support for his political agenda. Considered one of the greatest leaders in Senate history, LBJ pushed 1,300 bills through during his tenure. He was a tireless political campaigner in Texas and utilized the latest technology available, including political polling, targeted radio advertising, and travel by helicopter and airplane when other candidates dismissed such actions as fads.

As president, Johnson sought to continue Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal with his own Great Society. Legislation designed to eliminate poverty, help the elderly, end racism, promote education, and improve the quality of life for all Americans was a central part of the Great Society agenda. Although successful in gaining victory for many major pieces of domestic legislation, Johnson became mired in managing the Vietnam War. Escalation of the American role in the war in 1965 and 1966 came to define his presidency, and by 1968 he was challenged by fellow Democrats Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy for the party's presidential nomination. Johnson declined to run for a second full term and retired from political life, where he remained out of the public eye until his death.