Born August 27, 1908
Near Stonewall, Texas

Died January 22, 1973
Near Johnson City, Texas

Politician, thirty-sixth
president of the United States

Lyndon B. Johnson. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

Lyndon B. Johnson was one of the most charismatic and complex leaders in U.S. history. His five-year presidency was marked by accusations of corruption and by the growing nightmare of American military involvement in the Vietnam War (1954–75). But his administration also made reforms that had a dramatic effect in reducing poverty and improving civil rights. Although some remember Johnson as a warmonger, others regard him as a political giant who improved the lives of millions of poor Americans.

Texas Childhood

Lyndon Baines Johnson was the eldest of five children. His father was Sam Ealy Johnson, a farmer, local politician, and newspaper owner who served in the Texas state legislature for eighteen years. His mother was...