Encyclopedia · Biography
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th president of the United States
Personal details
- Full name
- Lyndon Baines Johnson
- Born
- August 27, 1908 · near Stonewall, Texas
- Died
- January 22, 1973 · Johnson City, Texas
- Parents
- Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr.; Rebekah Baines Johnson
- Family
- Eldest of five children
- Education
- Johnson City High School (1924); Southwest Texas State Teachers College, B.S. (1930); attended Georgetown law classes without completing a law degree
- Religion
- Disciples of Christ (Christian Church)
- Political party
- Democratic
- Spouse
- Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Taylor (married 1934)
- Children
- Lynda Bird Johnson; Luci Baines Johnson
- Military
- U.S. Naval Reserve, 1941–1942; lieutenant commander; Silver Star
- Public office
- U.S. House (1937–1949); U.S. Senate (1949–1961); vice president (1961–1963); president (1963–1969)
Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. A former Texas congressman, Senate majority leader and vice president, Johnson oversaw major civil rights and social-policy legislation while expanding American military involvement in Vietnam.
Early life and education
Johnson was born to Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr., a Texas legislator, and Rebekah Baines Johnson, a former teacher, in the Texas Hill Country. He grew up with four younger siblings and graduated from Johnson City High School in 1924. He worked in California and Texas before enrolling at Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University), graduating in 1930.
While studying he taught at a Mexican American school in Cotulla, Texas; he later taught in Houston. He attended law classes at Georgetown during his early Washington years without earning a law degree.
Family and business
In 1934 Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, known as Lady Bird Johnson. Their daughters were Lynda Bird and Luci Baines. Lady Bird held major interests in the Johnson family’s broadcasting business, including the Austin radio station KTBC, acquired in 1943; she also maintained her own conservation and beautification work.
Military and congressional service
Johnson became a legislative aide to Representative Richard M. Kleberg in 1931, directed the Texas National Youth Administration from 1935 to 1937, and won a U.S. House special election in 1937. He served in the Navy during World War II, receiving the Silver Star; the circumstances and evaluation of that award are detailed in the private research record.
Elected to the Senate in 1948 after a closely contested Democratic runoff, Johnson became Senate Democratic leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1955. He built a reputation for negotiating legislation through the Senate and working closely with Speaker Sam Rayburn.
Vice presidency and presidency
Johnson was elected vice president with John F. Kennedy in 1960 and became president after Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963. He won the 1964 presidential election against Republican senator Barry Goldwater.
His administration secured the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Fair Housing Act of 1968. The Great Society agenda expanded federal education programs, anti-poverty efforts, Medicare and Medicaid, arts funding, and environmental protections. Johnson simultaneously escalated the Vietnam War, prompting increasing opposition; he declined to seek another full presidential term in 1968.
Political record and relationships
Johnson’s principal documented political collaborators included Sam Rayburn, Hubert Humphrey, and legislators of both parties who negotiated civil-rights legislation. Senator Richard Russell Jr. was an influential earlier Senate ally who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Johnson’s presidential contest with Goldwater was electoral opposition, not evidence of a working alliance.
References
Research compiled through November 12, 2026. Sources and historical roles are dated where known.