1908
First Photograph of Lyndon Baines Johnson (six months old)credit: Unknown
Born August 27, at Stonewall, Texas. The first child of Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines Johnson was born in a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River.
1912
Johnson Family Photographscredit: Unknown
At the age of four, Lyndon Johnson began running to the nearby one-room "Junction School" daily to play with his cousins at recess.
His mother persuaded the teacher, Miss Kathryn Deadrich, to take him as a pupil, and he would sit in his teacher's lap and recite his lessons. His school term was cut short by whooping cough.
1913–1924
Johnson Family Photographscredit: Unknown
Group Photo: Johnson City High Schoolcredit: Unknown
The family moved to nearby Johnson City, named for Lyndon's forebears, and the young Lyndon entered first grade.
On May 24, at the age of fifteen, Lyndon graduated from Johnson City High School.
1924–1927
Lyndon decided to forego higher education and instead made his way to California with a few friends. There he performed odd jobs, including one as an elevator operator. A year later he returned home where he worked on a road construction gang.
1927–1930
Portrait of Lyndon B. Johnsoncredit: Unknown
Borrowing $75, Lyndon Johnson enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) at San Marcos, Texas. He earned money as a janitor and as an office helper.
In 1928, Lyndon dropped out of school for a year to serve as principal and teach fifth, sixth, and seventh grades at Welhausen School, a Mexican-American school in the south Texas town of Cotulla. He still had time to be a leader in many extracurricular activities, editing the school paper and starring on the debate team.
On August 19, 1930, Lyndon graduated with a B.S. degree. He taught for a few weeks at Pearsall High School, in Pearsall, Texas, and then took a job teaching public speaking at Sam Houston High School in Houston, Texas. In the spring of 1931, his debate team won the district championship.
1931–1935
Honeymoon in Mexico after Nov. 17, 1934 Wedding in San Antonio, Texascredit: Unknown
Following his election to the House of Representatives in November 1931, Congressman Richard Kleberg asked Johnson to come to Washington to work as his secretary. Johnson held the job for over three years and learned how the Congress worked.
In 1933, Lyndon was elected speaker of the "Little Congress," an organization of congressional workers.
In the Fall of 1934, Lyndon briefly attended Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D.C.
On a trip home to Texas, Johnson met Claudia Alta Taylor. He decided almost instantly that she should be his wife. Two months later, Lady Bird, as she was known to her friends, agreed, and on November 17, 1934, they were married in San Antonio. They honeymooned in Mexico.
1935–1937
Lyndon B. Johnson visiting National Youth Administration projectscredit: Unknown
LBJ resigned as Secretary to Representative Kleberg to accept President Roosevelt's appointment on July 25 as the Texas Director of the National Youth Administration (NYA), a Roosevelt program designed to provide vocational training for unemployed youth and part-time employment for needy students. At 26, he was the youngest state director.
1937
Congressional campaign postercredit: UT Photographic Services
Lyndon resigned as Texas Director of the National Youth Administration to enter the special election for the 10th Congressional District called after the death of Representative James P. Buchanan. Nine other candidates also entered the election. Johnson backed Roosevelt 100% and handily won the election on April 10.
In Congress, Johnson worked hard for rural electrification, public housing, and eliminating government waste.
He was appointed to the House Committee on Naval Affairs at the request of President Roosevelt.
1938
Lyndon was re-elected to a full term in the 76th Congress and to each succeeding Congress until 1948.
1940
Lt. Commander Lyndon B. Johnson in Navy uniformcredit: Unknown
On June 21, 1940, Lyndon was appointed Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
1941
Johnson ran for the remaining term of Senator Morris Sheppard upon Sheppard's death. On June 28, he lost a hard-fought race to conservative W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel by 1,311 votes.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, Johnson became the first member of Congress to volunteer for active duty in the armed forces (U.S. Navy), reporting for active duty on December 9, 1941.
Lady Bird Johnson ran the Congressional office while he was overseas.
1942
Portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson in Navy Uniformcredit: Unknown
On June 9, Johnson received the Silver Star from General Douglas MacArthur for gallantry in action during an aerial combat mission over hostile positions in New Guinea. President Roosevelt ordered all members of Congress in the armed forces to return to their offices, and Johnson was released from active duty on July 16, 1942.
1944
On March 19, the Johnsons welcomed the birth of their first daughter, Lynda Bird.
1947
On July 2, the Johnsons welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Luci Baines.
1948
After a dramatic campaign in which he traveled by "newfangled" helicopter all over Texas, Johnson defeated Coke Stevenson in the Democratic primary race to be the party's candidate for the Senate seat vacated by Senator W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel. Johnson won the primary by 87 votes and earned the nickname "Landslide Lyndon." In the general election, November 2, he defeated the Republican, Jack Porter, and was elected to the U.S. Senate.
1951
On January 2, Lyndon was elected Majority Whip of the United States Senate.
1953
On January 3, Johnson was elected Minority Leader of the Senate at the age of 44. He won national attention as chairman of the Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee during the Korean War.
1954
On November 2, LBJ was re-elected to the U.S. Senate for a second term by a margin of three to one.
1955
President Eisenhower signs a bill as Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, others look oncredit: Abbie Rowe
Johnson was elected Majority Leader of the Senate on January 5. During his tenure as Senate Majority Leader, he served as Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, Democratic Steering Committee, and Democratic Conference of the Senate.
On July 2, while visiting George Brown's estate in Middleburg, Virginia, Johnson suffered a severe heart attack and entered Bethesda Naval Hospital. On August 7, he was released from Bethesda, and on August 27, he returned to the LBJ Ranch to recuperate. Johnson did not return to Washington and Capitol Hill until December.
1956
Johnson was nominated for President at the Democratic National Convention as a favorite son candidate.
1957
Johnson guided the passage of the first civil rights bill in 82 years, the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
As Chairman of the Senate Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee, he began hearings on the American space program following the launch of the Russian satellite, Sputnik, on October 4.
Johnson considered the highlights of his Senate career to be the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the vitalization of the United States space program.
1958
Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson posing for camera with a group of U.S. astronauts and other mencredit: Frank Muto
Johnson guided the passage of the first space legislation, the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. President Eisenhower designated Senator Johnson to present a United States resolution to the United Nations calling for the peaceful exploration of outer space.
1960
1960 Democratic Presidential/Vice-Presidential Campaign Postercredit: Unknown
On July 13, Lyndon was nominated for President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Sam Rayburn; he received 409 votes. He was nominated Vice President by acclamation on July 14.
On November 8, John F. Kennedy was elected as the 35th President of the United States, and Lyndon B. Johnson was elected Vice President. The Kennedy-Johnson ticket defeated the Nixon-Lodge ticket in one of the closest elections in American history.
Johnson was also re-elected to his third term in the United States Senate.
1961
January
On January 3, Johnson took the oath of office for the full six-year term in the Senate and immediately resigned.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's Berlin trip - arrival of US troops at edge of Western Sectorcredit: Unknown
On January 20, Johnson was administered the oath of office as Vice President of the United States by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn. As Vice President, Johnson was a member of the Cabinet and the National Security Council, Chairman of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, Chairman of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, and Chairman of the Peace Corps Advisory Council.
President Kennedy sent him on missions to the Middle East, the Far East, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and South Asia.
April
On April 20, the day Congress approved the amendment making the Vice President Chairman of the Space Council, President Kennedy sent Johnson a memorandum asking him to conduct an overall survey of the space program and to study the feasibility of going to the moon and back with a man before the Soviet Union could attain that goal.
After a careful study, Johnson replied on April 28 that a manned moon trip was possible, and "with a strong effort, the United States could conceivably be first in those accomplishments by 1966 or 1967."
May
On May 25, President Kennedy announced to Congress: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth."
From May 11 through 13, Lyndon visited Vietnam while on a trip to Southeast Asia as President Kennedy's representative.
August
In August, construction began on the Berlin Wall, and LBJ visited Berlin at John F. Kennedy's request.
1962
October
During the Cuban Missile Crisis Lyndon Johnson advised John F. Kennedy as part of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExCom).
1963
November
Swearing in of Lyndon B. Johnson as Presidentcredit: Cecil Stoughton
On November 22, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the 36th President of the United States following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. He is sworn in aboard Air Force One.
In an address before a joint session of Congress on November 27, Johnson pledged support for President Kennedy's legislative agenda, which included civil rights and education legislation.
On November 29, LBJ signed an executive order which established the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy.
1964
January
On January 9, Panamanian President Robert Chiari broke diplomatic relations with the United States after riots erupted when U.S. students raised the American flag in the Canal Zone. After tensions subsided, Johnson began efforts to renegotiate the Panama Canal Treaty (diplomatic relations were restored on April 3).
February
On February 6, Cuban President Fidel Castro cut the water supply to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo to protest U.S. seizure of Cuban fishing boats. Johnson took steps to give the base a self-sufficient supply of water and labor.
May
In a speech at the University of Michigan on May 22, Johnson spoke of a "Great Society." He said, "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning." The speech set the tone for the fall campaign.
July
Signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Actcredit: Cecil Stoughton
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a televised ceremony at the White House on July 2. The far-reaching law included provisions to protect the right to vote, guarantee access to public accommodations, and withhold federal funds from programs administered in a discriminatory fashion.
August
On August 2, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the destroyer USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. On August 4, a second North Vietnamese PT boat attack was reported on the USS Maddox and her escort, the USS C. Turner Joy, this time in poor weather. There would be debate, then and later, over whether the second attack actually occurred.
President Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes against North Vietnam after being given firm assurance that the attack did occur, and he sought a congressional resolution in support of our Southeast Asia policy.
State of the Union Addresscredit: Cecil Stoughton
On August 7, with only two dissenting votes in the Senate and none in the House, Congress passed the Southeast Asia Resolution (often called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution) backing him in taking "all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." Johnson signed the resolution on August 10.
On August 20, in the White House Rose Garden, Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act. The act established the Office of Economic Opportunity to direct and coordinate a variety of educational, employment, and training programs, which were the foundation of President Johnson's "War on Poverty."
President Johnson accepted the nomination as candidate for President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 27. Hubert Humphrey accepted the Vice Presidential nomination.
September
On September 3, Johnson signed the Wilderness Act which set apart 9,200,000 acres as a federal wilderness system.
October
From October 6 through 9, Mrs. Johnson made a four-day, 1,682-mile "Whistle Stop" campaign trip through the South aboard the "Lady Bird Special" train. The trip ends in New Orleans where she is met by LBJ.
November
November 3, Lyndon Baines Johnson was elected President of the United States, defeating Barry Goldwater, with the greatest percentage of the total popular vote (61%) ever attained by a Presidential candidate. Hubert Humphrey was elected Vice President.
1965
January
On January 20, Johnson took the Oath of Office as President of the United States. The "Great Society" program became the agenda for Congress: aid to education, protection of civil rights (including the right to vote), urban renewal, Medicare, conservation, beautification, control and prevention of crime and delinquency, promotion of the arts, and consumer protection.
Johnson's foreign policy rested on four principles: deterring and resisting aggression, promoting economic and social progress, encouraging cooperation among nations of the same region, and seeking reconciliation with the communist world.
April
Signing ceremony for the Elementary and Secondary Education Actcredit: Frank Wolfe
In a ceremony on the front lawn of the former Junction Elementary School, President Johnson sat next to his first schoolteacher, Miss Kathryn Deadrich Loney, and signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on April 11. The act was the first federal general aid to education law and focused on disadvantaged children in city slums and rural areas.
On April 28, President Johnson sent U.S. forces to the Dominican Republic following the outbreak of a rebellion there.
May
Project Head Start was launched on May 18. Mrs. Johnson served as honorary chair of the program designed to give underprivileged children a "head start" before beginning first grade.
July
As the situation in South Vietnam deteriorated, President Johnson began enlarging the U.S. commitment in Vietnam. On July 28, he announced that he had ordered U.S. military forces in Vietnam increased from 75,000 men to 125,000. He said he would order further military increases, as they were needed, committing the United States to major combat in Vietnam.
Signing of the Medicare Billcredit: Unknown
On July 30, Johnson signed the Medicare bill in a ceremony at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. The act established a medical care program for the aged under the Social Security System.
August
Signing of the Voting Rights Actcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
At a signing ceremony televised from the Capitol Rotunda on August 6, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act which empowers the Federal government to oversee voter registration and elections, outlaws discriminatory literacy tests, and expands voting rights for non-English speaking Americans. After speaking in the Rotunda, Johnson moved to the President's Room off the Senate chamber to sign the bill.
Abraham Lincoln had used the same room on August 6, 1861, to sign a bill freeing slaves who had been pressed into service of the Confederacy. The bill provided for direct federal action to enable Negroes to register and vote. In 1969, in his final press conference as President, Johnson cited passage of the Voting Rights Act as his greatest accomplishment.
September
On September 9, President Johnson signed the act establishing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and appointed Robert Weaver as the first secretary of HUD. Weaver was the first African-American appointed to the Cabinet.
October
On October 2, Johnson signed the Water Quality Act.
Signing of the Immigration Actcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
On October 3, Johnson signed the Immigration Act in front of the Statue of Liberty. This act repealed the restrictive national origins quota system which originated in 1921.
President Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act on October 22.
November
Lyndon Johnson signed the Higher Education Act which increased Federal money given to universities, created scholarships and low-interest student loans, and established a National Teacher Corps.
1966
Honolulu Conference on the Vietnam Warcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
March
On March 7, French President Charles de Gaulle informed President Johnson that France would end its participation in the military aspects of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The move threatened the future of NATO and U.S. policy in Europe.
May
The President delivered a speech on May 26 commemorating the 3rd anniversary of the Organization of African Unity, outlining the administration's African policy, and establishing a task force to review U.S. development policies and programs in Africa.
July
On the 4th of July, President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act.
August
Wedding of Luci Baines Johnson to Patrick Nugentcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
Luci Baines Johnson, President Johnson's younger daughter, married Patrick J. Nugent in a ceremony at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on August 6. (The Nugents divorced in August 1979.)
October
On October 16, Johnson signed the act establishing the Department of Transportation and appointed Alan Boyd as its first secretary.
In October and November, Lyndon Johnson made a 17-day Far East trip, attended the seven-nation Manila Summit Conference, and visited U.S. troops in South Vietnam and South Korea.
1967
January
On January 27, President Johnson signed the Treaty on Outer Space with Great Britain, the USSR, and 57 other nations. Later that day, three U.S. astronauts died in a fire during an Apollo 1 training mission.
February
The 25th Amendment was ratified on February 10. The amendment provides for the appointment of the Vice President should the office become vacant and provides for succession to the presidency should the President become disabled and unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the office.
April
Meeting of American Chiefs of Statecredit: Frank Wolfe
From April 11 through 14, President Johnson met with Latin American leaders in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
June
The Six Day War was fought in the Middle East between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, from June 5 to June 10. The "Hot Line" is used for the first time for communication between LBJ and Soviet Premier Alexsei Kosygin.
The USS Liberty, a U.S. Navy communications ship, was attacked off the Sinai coast. The Israeli government informed the U.S. government that they had attacked the ship in error.
On June 13, President Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. Marshall, former chief counsel for the NAACP who successfully argued Brown v. Board of Education challenging "separate but equal" public schools, became the first African-American to serve as Supreme Court Justice.
Birth of first grandchild: Partick Lyndon Nugentcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
Luci Johnson Nugent gave birth to the first Johnson grandchild, Patrick Lyndon Nugent, on June 21.
From June 23 through 25, President Johnson met with Soviet Premier Alexsei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey.
July
On July 8, Johnson authorized sending three U.S. aircraft to the Congo to provide logistical support for President Mobutu's government following internal rebellion.
Race riots erupted on July 23; President Johnson ordered 4,700 Federal troopers to Detroit.
On July 27, President Johnson appointed a special advisory commission on civil disorders (Kerner Commission) to investigate recent riots across the nation.
September
Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act on September 27.
October
Protesting the Vietnam War: The March on the Pentagoncredit: Frank Wolfe
Anti-war protests against the war in Vietnam reached a high point as the "March on the Pentagon" draws over 50,000 protestors on October 21 and 22.
November
LBJ signed the Public BroaD.C.asting Act on November 7 which allowed for the creation of PBS and NPR.
On November 20, President Johnson signed the act creating the National Product Safety Commission.
Johnson signed the Air Quality Act on November 21.
December
Wedding of Lynda Bird Johnson and Captain Charles Robbcredit: Yoichi Okamoto
Lynda Bird Johnson, President Johnson's older daughter, married Charles S. Robb in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on December 9.
From December 19 through 24, LBJ made his "Round-the-World Trip" to Australia, Pakistan, and Italy. He visited U.S. forces in South Vietnam and Thailand en route.
1968
On January 23, the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy communications ship, was attacked and captured by North Korea. North Korea did not release the crew of the ship until December.
Enemy forces began the Tet Offensive in Vietnam on January 30.
March
President Johnson narrowly defeated anti-war candidate Senator Eugene McCarthy on March 12 in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.
On March 31, in order to devote his time to seeking peace in Vietnam and at home, President Johnson announced that he would not be a candidate for another term as President of the United States.
April
President Lyndon B. Johnson and members of his staff react to the news of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassinationcredit: Mike Geissinger
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4; riots erupted in Washington, D.C., and other cities.
On April 11, LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which included provisions for fair housing.
May
Vietnam Peace Talks began in Paris.
June
Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 6 following his victory in the California presidential primary.
On June 19, President Johnson signed the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
July
On July 1, Johnson signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
On July 15, LBJ signed the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act.
August
On August 21, President Lyndon Johnson called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops after their invasion of Czechoslovakia. The invasion stalled the Johnson Administration's efforts to limit the spread of armaments and to mutually reduce troop strength in Europe.
From August 26 through 29, riots disrupted the Chicago Democratic National Convention where Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey won the nomination for president.
October
On October 2, President Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the National Trails Systems Act.
On October 22, LBJ signed the Gun Control Act of 1968.
President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson's first granddaughtercredit: Robert Knudsen
Lynda Johnson Robb gave birth to the Johnsons' first granddaughter, Lucinda Desha Robb, on October 1968.
On October 25, Johnson ordered a halt to all bombing of North Vietnam.
November
On November 5, Richard M. Nixon was elected 37th President of the United States.
1969–1973
Incoming and outgoing Presidents meet in the White Housecredit: Frank Wolfe
On January 20, 1969, Johnson returned to Texas and the LBJ Ranch, following the inauguration of President Richard M. Nixon.
As Senator, Vice President, and President, Johnson had exercised strong leadership in the U.S. space program, and on July 16, 1969, at President Nixon's request, President Johnson attended the launching of Apollo 11 at Cape Kennedy, Florida. Apollo 11 carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins toward the moon.
On July 20, 1969, while Michael Collins circled the moon in the command module Columbia, Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men to land on the moon. The flight represented the fulfillment of the goal, set in 1961 and reaffirmed by President Johnson, of reaching the moon in the 1960s.
President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson at the LBJ Librarycredit: Frank Wolfe
On May 22, 1971, Johnson attended the dedication of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The Johnson Library is part of a system of presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. It was established to preserve and make available for research the papers and memorabilia of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnsoncredit: Frank Wolfe
During his retirement Lyndon Johnson wrote his memoirs, taught students, and participated in the beginnings of a series of national symposia on the critical issues of modern America held at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library. On November 1, 1971, Lyndon Johnson's memoir, The Vantage Point: Perspective of the Presidency, 1963-1969, was published.
President Lyndon B. Johnson Lying in Statecredit: Frank Wolfe
Following a short retirement Lyndon Johnson died of a heart attack at his ranch on January 22, 1973. President Nixon announced his death to the nation along with the news that peace was at hand in Vietnam as cease fire agreements had been drawn up with the North Vietnamese. "No one would have welcomed peace more than [President Johnson]," said Nixon.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was buried in the family gravesite on the grounds of the LBJ Ranch not far from his birthplace in Stonewall, Texas
Compiled by the LBJ Library Archives Staff