Happy Birthday LBJ
On August 27, 1908 (116 years ago today) Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, was born in Stonewall, Texas in a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River. His parents were Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines. His father served five terms in the Texas legislature.
Johnson is one of only four people to served in all four elected federal offices of the United States: Representative, Senator, Vice President and President (see if you can guess who the other three are, I'll tell you at the end of this entry.) A Democrat, Johnson served as a United States Representative from Texas, from 1937-1949 and as United States Senator from 1949-1961, including six years as United States Senate Majority Leader, two as Senate Minority Leader and two as Senate Majority Whip.
After campaigning unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for President in 1960, Johnson was asked by John F. Kennedy to be his running mate for the 1960 presidential election. Johnson was elected Vice President and served in the office from January 20, 1961 until he succeeded to the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Johnson completed Kennedy's term in office and was elected President in his own right, defeating ultra-conservative Barry Goldwater and winning by a large margin in the 1964 Presidential election. Johnson was responsible for designing what he called the "Great Society", a legislative program that included laws that upheld civil rights, public broadcasting, medicare, medicaid, environmental protection, aid to education, Headstart, and his "War on Poverty."
Johnson was famous for his bullying, domineering and coercive personality. When he would attempt to convince a legislator or underling with bullying body language it was called the "Johnson treatment." His pressuring of powerful politicians in order to advance legislation was legendary.
But for all of the socially positive legislation that Johnson is remembered for, he also greatly escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War. As the war dragged on, Johnson's popularity as President steadily declined as an on-the-spot news media brought reports of young American soldiers killed in the conflict into the living rooms of Americans at home. After the 1966 mid-term Congressional elections, Johnson abandoned his re-election bid for the 1968 United States presidential election as a result of turmoil within the Democratic Party related to opposition to the Vietnam War. He withdrew from the race amid growing opposition to his policy on the Vietnam War and a worse-than-expected showing in the New Hampshire primary.
After leaving the presidency in January 1969, Johnson retired to his ranch in Stonewall, Texas. In 1971, he published his memoirs, The Vantage Point. That year, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum opened near the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. During the 1972 presidential election, Johnson supported Democratic presidential nominee George S. McGovern, a Senator from South Dakota, although McGovern had long opposed Johnson's foreign and defense policies.
Johnson died at his ranch at 3:39 p.m CST on January 22, 1973 at age 64 after suffering a massive heart attack. His health had been affected by years of heavy smoking, poor diet, and extreme stress; the former president had advanced coronary artery disease. He had his first, nearly fatal, heart attack in July 1955 and suffered a second one in April 1972, but had been unable to quit smoking after he left the Oval Office in 1969. He was found dead by Secret Service agents, in his bed, with a telephone in his hand.
Johnson's legacy remains mixed. He is remembered fondly for the advances in civil rights legislation that happened on his watch, but criticized for his escalation of the conflict of the Vietnam War.
Oh and as for the trivia question in the second paragraph, the other three were John Tyler, Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon.