Western Illinois University

A Foundation for Sustainable Rural Community Development

President Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973) became thirty-sixth President (1963-1969) after John F. Kennedy’s (1961-1963) assassination on November 22, 1963. Johnson, also called LBJ, was born in central Texas. His father, Sam Ealy Johnson Jr., was a farmer who held an interest in cattle and served five terms in the Texas Legislature. LBJ, his oldest son, continued the tradition.

While attending Southwest State Teachers College at San Marcos, TX, Johnson took a brief leave to work as principal and teacher before receiving his B.S. degree. After graduation he taught public speaking at Sam Houston High School in Houston.

In 1931, LBJ became secretary to Democratic Congressman Richard Kleberg, launching his four-decade political career. In 1935, LBJ accepted Franklin D. Roosevelt’s appointment as Texas Director of the National Youth Administration. In 1937, he was elected tenth district congressional representative, a post he held until 1948 when he was elected U.S. Senator. As a representative, he backed rural electrification, public housing, and eliminating government waste. LBJ was the first Congressman to volunteer for the armed forces when he enlisted in the Navy at the start of World War II. In 1942, he returned to serve in Congress after earning a Silver Star.

LBJ became Senate minority leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1955, while holding several Democratic Party posts. He helped secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In 1960, he gained the vice presidential nomination on Kennedy’s ticket. A week after the assassination in 1963, LBJ pledged to support Kennedy’s agenda, including civil rights and education. LBJ said his “Great Society” rested on abundance and liberty for all to end poverty and racial injustice. Quick passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Economic Opportunity Act followed in 1964, creating equal rights and opportunities for Blacks in voting, employment, and education.

Johnson’s childhood poverty and his New Deal experience influenced his presidency. During his State of the Union Speech on January 4, 1965, he announced the “War on Poverty,” proposing a national agenda to address increased government involvement in social issues. The War on Poverty concentrated on public welfare, including education, health, better living, and natural resources. It provided government assistance for those suffering from economic distress and oppression and emphasized efficiency. LBJ’s approach to community and individual development echoed Theodore Roosevelt’s Country Life Commission.

Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty in 1964 to study and recommend solutions for economic and social divisions in rural communities. The commission presented its report, The People Left Behind, in 1967. LBJ’s domestic programs, however, were overshadowed by the Vietnam War. As a result, he was unable to fulfill his promises to rectify rural poverty. He did not seek re-election in 1968.

Recommended Resources

  • Dallek, Robert. 1998. Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Lehman, Nicholas. 1991. The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. (Accessed: June 19, 2008).