Lyndon B. Johnson

**Lyndon Baines Johnson** (27th August 1908 - 2nd December 1978) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Texas from August 4th 1941 until his death on December 2nd 1978. He served as U.S. Senate Minority Leader from January 3rd 1953 to January 3rd 1955, U.S. Senate Majority Leader from January 3rd 1955 to January 3rd 1969, where he stepped down voluntarily after disappointing results in the 1968 elections, and then as President pro tempore of the United States Senate from April 28th 1972 until his death.

Born in a farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas, to a local political family, Johnson worked as a high school teacher and a congressional aide before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1937. In 1941, he won a special Senate election in Texas after a very narrow victory in the Democratic Party's primary over Governor Pappy O'Daniel. He was appointed to the position of Senate Minority Whip in 1951. He became the Senate Democratic leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1955. Johnson drew crowds to fairgrounds with his rented helicopter, dubbed "The Johnson City Windmill". Historians Caro and Dallek consider Lyndon Johnson the most effective Senate majority leader in history, noting that he was unusually proficient at gathering information. In 1955, Johnson persuaded Oregon's Independent Wayne Morse to join the Democratic caucus.

During his tenure as Majority Leader, Johnson did not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto, and shepherded the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 to passage—the first civil rights bills to pass Congress since the Enforcement Acts and the Civil Rights Act of 1875 during Reconstruction (1865–1877).

Johnson's success in the Senate rendered him a potential Democratic presidential candidate; and he announced his run in the 1956 Democratic Primary. In a bitter primary, Johnson came second to U.S. Senator from New Mexico Clinton Anderson. Anderson was then recommended Johnson as a Vice Presidential pick, but Anderson instead picked Tennessee Senator Al Gore Sr. Anderson/Gore would narrowly win the 1956 presidential race to the Stassen/Judd ticket. Johnson staged another run in 1964, this time losing coming 2nd again, ahead of Gore but behind nominee W. Averrell Harriman. Johnson campaigned for Hubert Humphrey as Harriman's running mate, winning Humphrey the necessary delegates to be Harriman's VP. In a three-way presidential race, Rockefeller dominated the liberal vote while George Wallace dominated the Southern vote, allowing for Rockefeller to be elected President in a plurality, despite efforts from Johnson & U.S. Senator John Stennis to try and make Southerners support the national ticket.

Johnson flirted with a run in 1968, but reaching old age and in poor health, Johnson announced that he would not run. Humphrey would win the nomination, and Johnson would maneuver to make Daniel Inouye his running mate. Regardless, Humphrey lost to the incumbent Rockefeller.

Johnson stepped down as leader in 1969 after disappointing results in the 1968 Senate elections, and originally planned to retire in 1972, before his supporters urged him to run for another term. Johnson would run again in 1978, winning the nomination and the election, but he would die before taking the term. Democrat Bob Krueger would be appointed, though he would lose in the 1980 special election to Republican former U.S. Representative Alan Steelman. In 1980, President Jerry Brown would posthumously award Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.