  claudia alta taylor "lady bird" johnson (december 22, 1912 â july 11, 2007) was first lady of the united states (1963â69) during the presidency of her husband, lyndon b. johnson. notably well-educated for her time, she proved a capable manager and a shrewd investor. after marrying lbj in 1934 when he was a political hopeful in austin, texas, she used a modest inheritance to bankroll his congressional campaign, and then ran his office while he was serving in the navy. next, she bought a radio station and then a tv station, which would soon make them millionaires. as first lady, she broke new ground by interacting directly with congress, employing her own press secretary, and making a solo electioneering tour. johnson was a lifelong advocate for beautifying the nation's cities and highways ("where flowers bloom, so does hope") and the highway beautification act was informally known as lady bird's bill. she was a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom and the congressional gold medal, the highest us civilian honors. ==early life== left|thumb|a photo of lady bird taylor at around age three  claudia alta taylor was born in karnack, texas, a town in [[harrison c
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