Johnson, Lyndon Baines

Johnson, Lyndon Baines (1908–73) 36th president of the United States (1963–69), born near Stonewall, Texas. Johnson's long political career began in 1932, when, after a brief stint as a secondary school teacher, he joined the Washington staff of a Texas congressman. In 1938 he was elected to the House of Representatives, where the political skills honed earlier were quickly recognized. He remained in the House until 1949, except for a brief tour of active duty in the navy during World War II. During his single combat experience (1942), the mission came under heavy fire and he was awarded a Silver Star. In 1948 Johnson was elected to the Senate, becoming minority leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1955. His greatest achievement was getting the support of Southern Democrats for passage of the 1957 Civil Rights Act. After Sputnik brought concerns about national security and military readiness to the fore, Johnson chaired a special Senate Preparedness Subcommittee whose hearings gave him further national exposure. Chosen John F. Kennedy's running mate in 1960, Johnson found himself excluded from policy deliberations and decision-making during his years as vice president (1961–63). Assuming office after Kennedy's assassination (1963), Johnson returned to his role as master mover and doer. Declaring a war on poverty and outlining his vision of a Great Society, he backed an unprecedented series of bills extending the federal government's assistance to the poor. He won the 1964 election with more than 61 percent of the popular vote. He created the Office of Economic Opportunity to coordinate the many federal assistance programs, which varied in their success. Among the most successful were the Headstart programs for preschool children and the Medicare and Medicaid programs for the elderly. Johnson oversaw passage of civil rights legislation that had been stalled in the Congress during the Kennedy administration, but the Vietnam War was his downfall. The bombing campaign and massive buildup of troops in 1965 that followed the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964) marked a major escalation of the conflict and a change in the nature of the war. The Tet Offensive early in 1968, an election year, further aggravated the protracted conflict. Two months later Johnson announced, in the same address, cessation of the bombing and his decision not to seek another term. Despite his achievements on the domestic front, he left office in disrepute, defeated by what had come to be called “Mr. Johnson's War.”