Top 10 Facts about Lyndon Johnson

Photo by Arnold Newman – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Lyndon Johnson

Lyndon Johnson was born on the 27th of August, 1908 in a farmhouse in Stonewall Texas. His parents were Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. and his mother Rebekah Baines Johnson. He was often referred to with his initials LBJ.

He attended high school in Johnson City Texas. He later joined South Western State Teachers College. He graduated from there in 1930 where he got a teaching position at Sam Houston High school.

Lyndon Jonson was a family man who was married to Claudia Alta Taylor on the 17^th of November, 1934. His wife was a soft-spoken, well-educated woman. They had two children; Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson.

Johnson’s political career began in 1937 when he was elected in the US House of Representatives as a Democrat. In 1960 he was elected as John F Kennedy’s running mate, which made him the 37^th vice president of the United States of America.

He became the 36th president of the United States of America on November 22^nd, 1963, following the assassination of President John Kennedy. He was lucky that his presidency dream was made a success by a margin of 87 votes only.

Lyndon Johnson died on January 22^nd, 1973, of a heart attack at 64 years of age.

1. President Johnson survived a plane crash

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President Lyndon Johnson was nearly killed in World War II. Luckily enough his urgency to visit the washroom saved him from the fateful plane crash. He left the plane to the washroom to loosen his bladder when the plane named Wabash Cannon a B-26 left without him.

The plane later crashed during the mission killing everybody after it was shot down by Japanese forces in New Guinea.

2. President Johnson was a dedicated teacher

President Lyndon Johnson joined Southwest Texas State Teachers College and graduated from the college in 1930. He taught 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th graders at the Welhausen School before being elected as a democrat.

He had deep sympathy for his Hispanic students and the socioeconomic problems they faced.

He also taught underprivileged Mexican children which earned him a reputation for his dedication. Later in 1931 quit teaching and joined Washington to start his political career. He left a lasting impression as a teacher.

3. President Johnson came from a humble background

He grew up under difficult financial circumstances. His father, Sam Johnson, had earlier lost money in cotton speculation and struggled to make a living.

After graduating from high school, Johnson spent 3 years doing odd jobs to make a living before enrolling at Texas University in San Marcos.

He took a teaching job to sustain him while in school where he made a profound impression on himself out of his passion and dedication to his students.

4. President Johnson almost died after his political career took off in the senate.

In 1943 he became the Senate minority leader and later on became a majority leader. He excelled at forming the senate Democrats into a united bloc.

In 1955, at the age of 46, he suffered a severe heart attack. After his recovery, he quit smoking and lost much weight. However, this did not deter him from tirelessly working on achievement and making his political career a success.

5. 87 votes gave President Johnson a ticket to the senate

The election was held on the 2^nd of November 1948 in Texas. Johnson Lyndon was declared the winner having defeated the then-Texas governor, Coke Stevenson.

In this campaign, Johnson Lyndon battled against severe health problems and an adverse political environment. This favored his opponent giving him a slight chance of winning.

The 87 vote victory earned Lyndon Johnson the nickname of Landslide Lyndon. Johnson had been a congressman for 6 years. The initial poll had Stevenson, his opponent, at 68% while Johnson had 18% only. This made Johnson introduce polling. He used a helicopter to fly from town to town and in the process, he used false campaign mailings to destroy Stevenson’s reputation.

He was able to mobilize people for he had more campaign funds from the Brown and Root Company of Texas now known as Halliburton Corporation.

6. President Johnson launched an ambitious reform; the Great Society

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The Great Society was a set of domestic policy initiatives, programs, and legislation introduced by Johnson Lyndon in the 1960s. Its main aim was to reduce poverty levels, reduce racial injustice, reduce crime and improve the environment.

He launched the Great Society policies in 1965 at the University of Michigan. The Great Society is considered one of the most extensive social reforms in history.

His policies led to the birth of Medicare, Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, and the Elementary Secondary Education Act ESEA of 1965.

His policies also helped in the creation of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts to support and fund Cultural institutions necessary for a healthy society.

7. President Johnson was a great power for persuasion which gave birth to The Johnson Treatment

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President Lyndon had his ways of achieving what he wanted in his political career. He had a great ability to coerce and persuade members of Congress into supporting his legislation.

His combination of charm, persuasion, and sheer intimidation came to be known as the Johnson Treatment.

Johnson was an aggressive leader when it came to achieving his political goals.

8. President Johnson was the youngest first person in history to serve as Senate minority leader

Having served during World War II, Johnson was later nominated to the Senate house as the Senate minority leader. He became the first youngest minority leader in history, with which he showed great dedication and abilities thus making him earn himself an election as the majority leader of the Senate House when the Democrats won control.

He worked selflessly with his rare skills obtaining a passage of several key Eisenhower’s measures.

9. President Johnson was awarded a silver star during World War II.

He wore a Second World War Military decoration in the best part of his political days. He was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest United States combat medal, for a fact-finding mission in 1942 over the Pacific while he was a Texas congressman and an acting lieutenant commander of the navy. The silver gift was a result of his coolness throughout the mission.

10. Vietnam War caused Johnson’s Presidency.

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Due to the escalating Vietnam War, President Lyndon received heavy media critics from his administration about the handling of the conflict. There grew a lot of anti-war protests which were springing up on college campuses and in cities.

The Democrats split into four factions all underscoring Johnson’s diminished control over the party. On 31st March 1968, he announced that he would not seek reelection, an event that shocked many.

He left office in January 1968 leaving peace talks in Vietnam underway. President Lyndon Johnson was a great leader who portrayed great leadership skills.

He showed his great desire for the less privileged and put up measures to eradicate poverty. He was a great role model who proved that humble origins should never deter one from achieving his goals.

He had a great journey that people could read and emulate. He began as a teacher and made his way up to the presidency. He left the Great Society legacy in the United States of America that still lives till today.