Timeline: The Life and Legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson
Here is a timeline outlining significant dates in the life of Lyndon B. Johnson, a pivotal figure in 20th-century American history:
1908, August 27: Lyndon Baines Johnson is born near Stonewall, Texas.
Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/lj36.html
1930, August: Johnson graduates from Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University-San Marcos) with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Source: https://guides.library.txstate.edu/univhistory/LBJ
1931: Johnson begins his political career as a legislative secretary to Congressman Richard M. Kleberg of Texas.
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/LyndonJohnson(36th_president_of_the_United_States))
1934, November 17: Lyndon B. Johnson marries Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Taylor.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/life-after-the-presidency
1935: Johnson is appointed Texas director of the National Youth Administration, a New Deal agency.
Source: https://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/history/emergence-of-usa-as-a-world-power/president-johnson/
1937, April 10: Johnson is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas’s 10th congressional district.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
1941, December: Johnson becomes the first member of Congress to volunteer for active duty in World War II, serving briefly as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lyndon-B-Johnson
1948, November 2: Johnson is elected to the U.S. Senate, winning by an extremely narrow margin which earned him the nickname “Landslide Lyndon.”
Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lyndon-B-Johnson
1953: Johnson becomes the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history.
Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/lj36.html
1955: Johnson becomes Senate Majority Leader when Democrats gain control, further solidifying his powerful influence in Congress.
Source: https://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/history/emergence-of-usa-as-a-world-power/president-johnson/
1957, September 9: Johnson helps steer the Civil Rights Act of 1957 through Congress, the first federal civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lyndon-B-Johnson
1960, July 14: John F. Kennedy selects Johnson as his running mate for the 1960 presidential election.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
1961, January 20: Johnson is sworn in as Vice President of the United States.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
1963, November 22: Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, Johnson is sworn in as the 36th President of the United States aboard Air Force One.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lyndon-b-johnson/key-events
1964, January 8: In his State of the Union Address, Johnson declares an “unconditional war on poverty in America,” laying the groundwork for his Great Society programs.
Source: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/lyndon-b-johnson-event-timeline
1964, July 2: Johnson signs the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lyndon-b-johnson/key-events
1964, August 7: Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving Johnson broad authority to use military force in Vietnam after alleged attacks on U.S. destroyers.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lyndon-b-johnson/key-events
1964, November 3: Johnson is elected President in a landslide victory over Republican Barry Goldwater, winning the largest percentage of the popular vote in U.S. history up to that point.
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/LyndonJohnson(36th_president_of_the_United_States))
1965, July 30: Johnson signs the Medicare and Medicaid Acts, establishing comprehensive health insurance programs for the elderly and low-income individuals.
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/LyndonJohnson(36th_president_of_the_United_States))
1965, August 6: Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting and leads to a dramatic increase in African American voter registration.
Source: https://www.vaia.com/en-us/explanations/history/emergence-of-usa-as-a-world-power/president-johnson/
1968, March 31: Faced with declining approval ratings due to the Vietnam War and growing domestic unrest, Johnson announces he will not seek re-election.
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/LyndonJohnson(36th_president_of_the_United_States))
1968, April 11: Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, or sex.
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/LyndonJohnson(36th_president_of_the_United_States))
1969, January 20: Johnson leaves office, succeeded by Richard Nixon. He retires to his ranch in Texas.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
1971: Johnson publishes his memoirs, The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/life-after-the-presidency
1973, January 22: Lyndon B. Johnson dies at his ranch in Johnson City, Texas, just one day before the Paris Peace Accords officially ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Source: https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/life-after-the-presidency
