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Lyndon B. Johnson
"LBJ" redirects here. For other uses, see LBJ (disambiguation).
Lyndon Baines Johnson (/ˈlɪndǝn ˈbeɪnz/; August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often
referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the
United States from 1963 to 1969. Formerly the 37th vice president of the United States
from 1961 to 1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President
John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a United States
Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of
only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.[b]
Born in a farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas,
Johnson was a high school teacher and Lyndon B. Johnson
worked as a congressional aide before
winning election to the House of
Representatives in 1937. He won election
to the Senate in 1948 and was appointed
to the position of Senate Majority Whip in
1951. He became the Senate Minority
Leader in 1953 and the Senate Majority
Leader in 1955. He became known for his
domineering personality and the
"Johnson treatment", his aggressive
coercion of powerful politicians to
advance legislation.
Johnson in March 1964
Johnson ran for the Democratic
36th President of the United States
nomination in the 1960 presidential
election. Although unsuccessful, he In office
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
accepted the invitation of then-Senator
John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts to be Vice President None (1963–1965)[a]
his running mate. They went on to win a
Hubert Humphrey
close election over the Republican ticket (1965–1969)
of Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge
Preceded by John F. Kennedy
Jr. On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was
assassinated and Johnson succeeded Succeeded by Richard Nixon
him as president. The following year,
37th Vice President of the United States
Johnson won in a landslide, defeating
In office
Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. With
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
61.1 percent of the popular vote, Johnson
won the largest share of the popular vote President John F. Kennedy
of any candidate since the largely
Preceded by Richard Nixon
uncontested 1820 election.
Succeeded by Hubert Humphrey
In domestic policy, Johnson designed the
United States Senator
"Great Society" legislation to expand civil from Texas
rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, In office
Medicaid, aid to education, the arts, January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1961
urban and rural development, public
Preceded by W. Lee O'Daniel
services and his "War on Poverty".
Assisted in part by a growing economy, Succeeded by William A. Blakley
the War on Poverty helped millions of Senate Majority Leader
Americans rise above the poverty line
In office
during his administration.[2] Civil rights
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1961
bills that he signed into law banned racial
discrimination in public facilities, Deputy Earle C. Clements
interstate commerce, the workplace and Mike Mansfield
housing; the Voting Rights Act prohibited
Preceded by William F. Knowland
certain requirements in southern states
used to disenfranchise African Succeeded by Mike Mansfield
Americans. With the passage of the Senate Minority Leader
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,
In office
the country's immigration system was January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
reformed, encouraging greater emigration
Deputy Earle C. Clements
from regions other than Europe.
Johnson's presidency marked the peak of Preceded by Styles Bridges
modern liberalism after the New Deal era.
Succeeded by William F. Knowland
In foreign policy, Johnson escalated Senate Majority Leader
American involvement in the Vietnam
In office
War. In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953
of Tonkin Resolution, which granted
Leader Ernest McFarland
Johnson the power to use military force in
Southeast Asia without having to ask for Preceded by Francis J. Myers
an official declaration of war. The number
Succeeded by Leverett Saltonstall
of American military personnel in Vietnam
increased dramatically, from 16,000 Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
advisors in non-combat roles in 1963 to from Texas's 10th district
525,000 in 1967, many in combat roles.
In office
American casualties soared and the
April 10, 1937 – January 3, 1949
peace process stagnated. Growing
unease with the war stimulated a large, Preceded by James P. Buchanan
angry anti-war movement based chiefly Succeeded by Homer Thornberry
among draft-age students on university
Personal details
campuses.
Born Lyndon Baines
Johnson faced further troubles when
Johnson
summer riots began in major cities in August 27, 1908
1965 and crime rates soared, as his Stonewall, Texas,
opponents raised demands for "law and U.S.
order" policies. While Johnson began his
Died January 22, 1973
presidency with widespread approval,
(aged 64)
support for him declined as the public Stonewall, Texas,
became frustrated with both the war and U.S.
the growing violence at home. In 1968,
Resting place Johnson Family
the Democratic Party factionalized as
Cemetery,
anti-war elements denounced Johnson;
Stonewall, Texas,
he ended his bid for renomination after a U.S.[1]
disappointing finish in the New
Hampshire primary. Nixon was elected to Political party Democratic
succeed him, as the New Deal coalition Spouse(s) Lady Bird Taylor
that had dominated presidential politics (m. 1934)
for 36 years collapsed. After he left office
Children Lynda •Luci
in January 1969, Johnson returned to his
Texas ranch, where he died of a heart Parents Samuel Ealy
attack at age 64, on January 22, 1973. Johnson Jr.
Johnson is ranked favorably by many Rebekah Baines
historians because of his domestic Education Southwest Texas
policies and the passage of many major State Teachers
laws that affected civil rights, gun control, College (BA)
wilderness preservation, and Social Georgetown
Security, although he has also drawn University
substantial criticism for his escalation of
Civilian awards Presidential
the Vietnam War.[3][4]
Medal of Freedom
(Posthumous; 1980)
Contents
Signature
Military service
Early years
Branch/service United States
Lyndon Baines Navy
Johnson was
Years of service 1940–1941 (Inactive)
born on
1941–1942 (Active)
August 27,
1908, near 1942–1964
Stonewall, (Reserve)
Texas, in a
Rank Commander
small
farmhouse on Unit U.S. Naval Reserve
Seven-year-old Johnson
the Pedernales Battles/wars World War II
with his trademark cowboy
hat River.[5] He
Salamaua–Lae
was the oldest
campaign
of five children born to Samuel Ealy
Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines.[6][7] Military awards Silver Star
Johnson had one brother, Sam Houston
Johnson, and three sisters; Rebekah, Josefa, and Lucia.[8] The nearby small town of
Johnson City, Texas, was named after LBJ's cousin, James Polk Johnson,[9][10] whose
forebears had moved west from Georgia.[11] Johnson had English, German, and Ulster
Scots ancestry.[12] He was maternally descended from pioneer Baptist clergyman George
Washington Baines, who pastored eight churches in Texas, as well as others in Arkansas
and Louisiana. Baines, the grandfather of Johnson's mother, was also the president of
Baylor University during the American Civil War.[13]
Johnson's grandfather, Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr., was raised as a Baptist and for a time was
a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In his later years the grandfather
became a Christadelphian; Johnson's father also joined the Christadelphian Church toward
the end of his life.[14] Later, as a politician, Johnson was influenced in his positive attitude
toward Jews by the religious beliefs that his family, especially his grandfather, had shared
with him.[15] Johnson's favorite Bible verse came from the King James Version of Isaiah
1l18. "Come now, and let us reason together ..."[16]
In school, Johnson was an awkward, talkative youth who
was elected president of his 11th-grade class. He
graduated in 1924 from Johnson City High School, where
he participated in public speaking, debate, and
baseball.[17][18] At age 15, Johnson was the youngest
member of his class. Pressured by his parents to attend Johnson's boyhood home in Johnson
college, he enrolled at a "subcollege" of Southwest Texas City, Texas
State Teachers College (SWTSTC) in the summer of
1924, where students from unaccredited high schools could take the 12th-grade courses
needed for admission to college. He left the school just weeks after his arrival and decided
to move to southern California. He worked at his cousin's legal practice and in various odd
jobs before returning to Texas, where he worked as a day laborer.[19]
In 1926, Johnson managed to enroll at SWTSTC (now Texas State University). He worked
his way through school, participated in debate and campus politics, and edited the school
newspaper, The College Star.[20] The college years refined his skills of persuasion and
political organization. For nine months, from 1928 to 1929, Johnson paused his studies to
teach Mexican–American children at the segregated Welhausen School in Cotulla, some 90
miles (140 km) south of San Antonio in La Salle County. The job helped him to save money
to complete his education and he graduated in 1930. He briefly taught at Pearsall High
School before taking a position as teacher of public speaking at Sam Houston High School
in Houston.[21]
When he returned to San Marcos in 1965, after signing the Higher Education Act of 1965,
Johnson reminisced:
I shall never forget the faces of the boys and the girls in that little
Welhausen Mexican School, and I remember even yet the pain of
realizing and knowing then that college was closed to practically every
one of those children because they were too poor. And I think it was then
that I made up my mind that this nation could never rest while the door
to knowledge remained closed to any American.[22]
Entry into politics
After Richard M. Kleberg won a 1931 special election to
represent Texas in the United States House of
Representatives, he appointed Johnson as his legislative
secretary. Johnson got the position on the
recommendation of his own father and that of State
Senator Welly Hopkins, who Johnson had campaigned
for in 1930.[24] Kleberg had little interest in performing
President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
the day-to-day duties of a Congressman, instead Governor James Allred of Texas, and
delegating them to Johnson.[25] After Franklin D. Johnson, 1937. Johnson later used
Roosevelt won the 1932 presidential election, Johnson an edited version of this photo, with
Allred airbrushed out, in his 1941
became a staunch supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal.[26] senatorial campaign.[23]
Johnson was elected speaker of the "Little Congress," a
group of Congressional aides, where he cultivated Congressmen, newspapermen, and
lobbyists. Johnson's friends soon included aides to President Roosevelt as well as fellow
Texans such as Vice President John Nance Garner and Congressman Sam Rayburn.[27]
Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, also known as "Lady Bird", of Karnack, Texas on
November 17, 1934, after he attended Georgetown University Law Center for several
months. The wedding was officiated by Rev. Arthur R. McKinstry at St. Mark's Episcopal
Church in San Antonio.[28] They had two daughters, Lynda Bird, born in 1944, and Luci
Baines, born in 1947. Johnson gave his children names with the LBJ initials; his dog was
Little Beagle Johnson. His home was the LBJ Ranch; his initials were on his cufflinks,
ashtrays, and clothes.[29] During his marriage, Lyndon Johnson had affairs with multiple
women, in particular with Alice Marsh (née Glass) who assisted him politically.[30]
In 1935, he was appointed head of the Texas National Youth Administration, which enabled
him to use the government to create education and job opportunities for young people. He
resigned two years later to run for Congress. Johnson, a notoriously tough boss throughout
his career, often demanded long workdays and work on weekends.[31] He was described by
friends, fellow politicians and historians as motivated by an exceptional lust for power and
control. As Johnson's biographer Robert Caro observes, "Johnson's ambition was
uncommon—in the degree to which it was unencumbered by even the slightest excess
weight of ideology, of philosophy, of principles, of beliefs."[32]
Career in U.S. House of Representatives (1937–1949)
In 1937, Johnson successfully campaigned in a special election for Texas's 10th
congressional district, that covered Austin and the surrounding hill country. He ran on a
New Deal platform and was effectively aided by his wife. He served in the House from April
10, 1937, to January 3, 1949.[33] President Franklin D. Roosevelt found Johnson to be a
welcome ally and conduit for information, particularly with regard to issues concerning
internal politics in Texas (Operation Texas) and the machinations of Vice President John
Nance Garner and Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn. Johnson was immediately
appointed to the Naval Affairs Committee. He worked for rural electrification and other
improvements for his district. Johnson steered the projects towards contractors that he
personally knew, such as the Brown Brothers, Herman and George, who would finance
much of Johnson's future career.[18] In 1941, he ran for the Democratic U.S. Senate
nomination in a special election; his main opponent was the sitting Governor of Texas,
businessman and radio personality W. Lee O'Daniel; Johnson narrowly lost the Democratic
primary, which was then tantamount to election, with O'Daniel receiving 175,590 votes
(30.49 percent), and Johnson 174,279 (30.26 percent).
Active military duty (1941–1942)
Johnson was appointed a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S.
Naval Reserve on June 21, 1940. While serving as a U.S.
Representative, he was called to active duty three days after the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. His orders
were to report to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in
Washington, D.C. for instruction and training.[34] Following his
training, he asked Undersecretary of the Navy James Forrestal
for a combat assignment.[35] He was sent instead to inspect
shipyard facilities in Texas and on the West Coast. In the spring
LCDR Johnson, March 1942
of 1942, President Roosevelt decided he needed better
information on conditions in the Southwest Pacific, and to send a highly trusted political
ally to get it. From a suggestion by Forrestal, Roosevelt assigned Johnson to a three-man
survey team covering the Southwest Pacific.[36]
Johnson reported to General Douglas MacArthur in Australia. Johnson and two U.S. Army
officers went to the 22nd Bomb Group base, which was assigned the high risk mission of
bombing the Japanese airbase at Lae in New Guinea. On June 9, 1942, Johnson
volunteered as an observer for an air strike on New Guinea by B-26 bombers. Reports vary
on what happened to aircraft carrying Johnson during that mission. Johnson's biographer
Robert Caro accepts Johnson's account and supports it with testimony from the aircrew
concerned: the aircraft was attacked, disabling one engine and it turned back before
reaching its objective, though remaining under heavy fire. Others claim that it turned back
because of generator trouble before reaching the objective and before encountering
enemy aircraft and never came under fire; this is supported by official flight records.[37][38]
Other airplanes that continued to the target came under fire near the target at about the
same time that Johnson's plane was recorded as having landed back at the original
airbase. MacArthur recommended Johnson for the Silver Star for gallantry in action: the
only member of the crew to receive a decoration.[38] After it was approved by the Army, he
personally presented the medal to Johnson, with the following citation:[37]
For gallantry in action in the vicinity of Port Moresby and Salamaua,
New Guinea, on June 9, 1942. While on a mission of obtaining
information in the Southwest Pacific area, Lieutenant Commander
Johnson, in order to obtain personal knowledge of combat conditions,
volunteered as an observer on a hazardous aerial combat mission over
hostile positions in New Guinea. As our planes neared the target area
they were intercepted by eight hostile fighters. When, at this time, the
plane in which Lieutenant Commander Johnson was an observer,
developed mechanical trouble and was forced to turn back alone,
presenting a favorable target to the enemy fighters, he evidenced marked
coolness in spite of the hazards involved. His gallant actions enabled
him to obtain and return with valuable information.
Johnson, who had used a movie camera to record conditions,[39] reported to Roosevelt, to
Navy leaders, and to Congress that conditions were deplorable and unacceptable: some
historians have suggested this was in exchange for MacArthur's recommendation to award
the Silver Star.[38] He argued that the South West Pacific urgently needed a higher priority
and a larger share of war supplies. The warplanes sent there, for example, were "far
inferior" to Japanese planes; and morale was bad. He told Forrestal that the Pacific Fleet
had a "critical" need for 6,800 additional experienced men. Johnson prepared a twelve-
point program to upgrade the effort in the region, stressing "greater cooperation and
coordination within the various commands and between the different war theaters".
Congress responded by making Johnson chairman of a high-powered subcommittee of the
Naval Affairs Committee,[40] with a mission similar to that of the Truman Committee in the
Senate. He probed the peacetime "business as usual" inefficiencies that permeated the
naval war and demanded that admirals shape up and get the job done. Johnson went too
far when he proposed a bill that would crack down on the draft exemptions of shipyard
workers if they were absent from work too often; organized labor blocked the bill and
denounced him. Johnson's biographer, Robert Dallek concludes, "The mission was a
temporary exposure to danger calculated to satisfy Johnson's personal and political
wishes, but it also represented a genuine effort on his part, however misplaced, to improve
the lot of America's fighting men."[41]
In addition to the Silver Star, Johnson received the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-
Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was released from active
duty on July 17, 1942 and remained in the Navy Reserve, later promoted to Commander on
October 19, 1949 (effective June 2, 1948). He resigned from the Navy Reserve effective
January 18, 1964.[42]
Career in U.S. Senate (1949–1961)
Contested 1948 election
In the 1948 elections, Johnson again ran for the Senate and won
in a highly controversial result in a three-way Democratic Party
primary. Johnson faced a well-known former governor, Coke
Stevenson and George Peddy (a former state representative of
District 8 in Shelby County). Johnson drew crowds to
fairgrounds with his rented helicopter dubbed "The Johnson
City Windmill". He raised money to flood the state with
campaign circulars and won over conservatives by voting for the
Taft-Hartley act (curbing union power) as well as by criticizing
unions. Stevenson came in first but lacked a majority, so a runoff
Johnson, pictured as a U.S.
was held; Johnson campaigned even harder, while Stevenson's Senator from Texas
efforts slumped.
The runoff count took a week, handled by the Democratic State Central Committee,
because this was a party primary. Johnson was finally announced the winner by 87 votes
out of 988,295 cast. The Committee voted to certify Johnson's nomination by a majority of
one (29–28), with the last vote cast on Johnson's behalf by Temple, Texas, publisher Frank
W. Mayborn. There were many allegations of voter fraud; one writer alleges that Johnson's
campaign manager, future Texas governor John B. Connally, was connected with 202
ballots in Precinct 13 in Jim Wells County where the names had curiously been listed in
alphabetical order with the same pen and handwriting, just at the close of polling. Some of
these voters insisted that they had not voted that day.[43] Robert Caro argued in his 1989
book that Johnson had thus stolen the election in Jim Wells County and that 10,000 ballots
were also rigged in Bexar County alone.[44] Election judge Luis Salas said in 1977 that he
had certified 202 fraudulent ballots for Johnson.[45] The state Democratic convention
upheld Johnson. Stevenson went to court but Johnson prevailed, with timely help from his
friend Abe Fortas. He soundly defeated Republican Jack Porter in the general election in
November and went to Washington, permanently dubbed "Landslide Lyndon." Johnson,
dismissive of his critics, happily adopted the nickname.[46]
Freshman senator to majority whip
Once in the Senate, Johnson was known among his colleagues for his highly successful
"courtships" of older senators, especially Senator Richard Russell, Democrat from Georgia,
the leader of the Conservative coalition and arguably the most powerful man in the Senate.
Johnson proceeded to gain Russell's favor in the same way that he had "courted" Speaker
Sam Rayburn and gained his crucial support in the House.
Johnson was appointed to the Senate Armed Services Committee and in 1950, he helped
create the Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee. Johnson became its chairman and
conducted investigations of defense costs and efficiency. These investigations revealed old
investigations and demanded actions that were already being taken in part by the Truman
Administration, although it can be said that the committee's investigations reinforced the
need for changes. Johnson gained headlines and national attention through his handling of
the press, the efficiency with which his committee issued new reports and the fact that he
ensured that every report was endorsed unanimously by the committee. Johnson used his
political influence in the Senate to receive broadcast licenses from the Federal
Communications Commission in his wife's name.[45][47] After the 1950 general elections,
Johnson was chosen as Senate Majority Whip in 1951 under the new Majority Leader,
Ernest McFarland of Arizona, and served from 1951 to 1953.[33]
Senate Democratic leader
In the 1952 general election, Republicans won a majority
in both the House and Senate. Among defeated
Democrats that year was McFarland, who lost to upstart
Barry Goldwater. In January 1953, Johnson was chosen
by his fellow Democrats to be the minority leader; he
became the most junior Senator ever elected to this
position. One of his first actions was to eliminate the
Senate Desk X, used by all
seniority system in making appointments to committees,
Democratic leaders, including
while retaining it for chairmanships. In the 1954 election, Johnson, since Joseph Taylor
Johnson was re-elected to the Senate and, since the Robinson
Democrats won the majority in the Senate, then became
majority leader. Former majority leader William Knowland
became minority leader. Johnson's duties were to
schedule legislation and help pass measures favored by
the Democrats. Johnson, Rayburn and President Dwight
D. Eisenhower worked well together in passing
Eisenhower's domestic and foreign agenda.[citation needed]
During the Suez Crisis, Johnson tried to prevent the U.S.
government from criticizing the Israeli invasion of the Johnson giving "The Treatment" to
Senator Richard Russell
Sinai peninsula. Along with the rest of the nation,
Johnson was appalled by the threat of possible Soviet domination of space flight implied by
the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite Sputnik 1 and used his influence to ensure
passage of the 1958 National Aeronautics and Space Act, which established the civilian
space agency NASA.
Historians Caro and Dallek consider Lyndon Johnson the most effective Senate majority
leader in history. He was unusually proficient at gathering information. One biographer
suggests he was "the greatest intelligence gatherer Washington has ever known",
discovering exactly where every Senator stood on issues, his philosophy and prejudices,
his strengths and weaknesses and what it took to get his vote.[48] Robert Baker claimed
that Johnson would occasionally send senators on NATO trips in order to avoid their
dissenting votes.[49] Central to Johnson's control was "The Treatment",[50] described by
two journalists:
The Treatment could last ten minutes or four hours. It came, enveloping
its target, at the Johnson Ranch swimming pool, in one of Johnson's
offices, in the Senate cloakroom, on the floor of the Senate itself—
wherever Johnson might find a fellow Senator within his reach.
Its tone could be supplication, accusation, cajolery, exuberance, scorn,
tears, complaint and the hint of threat. It was all of these together. It ran
the gamut of human emotions. Its velocity was breathtaking and it was
all in one direction. Interjections from the target were rare. Johnson
anticipated them before they could be spoken. He moved in close, his
face a scant millimeter from his target, his eyes widening and narrowing,
his eyebrows rising and falling. From his pockets poured clippings,
memos, statistics. Mimicry, humor, and the genius of analogy made The
Treatment an almost hypnotic experience and rendered the target
stunned and helpless.[51]
A 60-cigarette-per-day smoker, Johnson suffered a near-fatal heart attack on July 2, 1955.
He abruptly gave up smoking as a result and, with only a couple of exceptions, did not
resume the habit until he left the White House on January 20, 1969. Johnson announced
he would remain as his party's leader in the Senate on New Year's Eve 1955, his doctors
reporting he had made "a most satisfactory recovery" since his heart attack five months
prior.[52][53]
Campaigns of 1960
See also: United States presidential election, 1960
Johnson's success in the Senate rendered him a potential Democratic presidential
candidate; he had been the "favorite son" candidate of the Texas delegation at the Party's
national convention in 1956 and appeared to be in a strong position to run for the 1960
nomination. Jim Rowe repeatedly urged Johnson to launch a campaign in early 1959, but
Johnson thought it better to wait, thinking that John Kennedy's efforts would create a
division in the ranks which could then be exploited. Rowe finally joined the Humphrey
campaign in frustration, another move which Johnson thought played into his own
strategy.[54]
Candidacy for president
Johnson made a late entry into the campaign in July 1960 which, coupled with a reluctance
to leave Washington, allowed the rival Kennedy campaign to secure a substantial early
advantage among Democratic state party officials. Johnson underestimated Kennedy's
endearing qualities of charm and intelligence, as compared to his own reputation as the
more crude and wheeling-dealing "Landslide Lyndon".[55] Caro suggests that Johnson's
hesitancy was the result of an overwhelming fear of failure.[56]
Johnson attempted in vain to capitalize on Kennedy's youth, poor health, and failure to take
a position regarding Joseph McCarthy.[57] He had formed a "Stop Kennedy" coalition with
Adlai Stevenson, Stuart Symington, and Hubert Humphrey, but it proved a failure. Johnson
received 409 votes on the only ballot at the Democratic convention to Kennedy's 806, and
so the convention nominated Kennedy. Tip O'Neill was a representative from Kennedy's
home state of Massachusetts at that time, and he recalled that Johnson approached him at
the convention and said, "Tip, I know you have to support Kennedy at the start, but I'd like
to have you with me on the second ballot." O'Neill replied, "Senator, there's not going to be
any second ballot."[58]
Vice-presidential nomination
According to Kennedy's Special Counsel Myer Feldman and to Kennedy himself, it is
impossible to reconstruct the precise manner in which Johnson's vice-presidential
nomination ultimately took place. Kennedy did realize that he could not be elected without
support of traditional Southern Democrats, most of whom had backed Johnson;
nevertheless, labor leaders were unanimous in their opposition to Johnson. AFL-CIO
President George Meany called Johnson "the arch foe of labor," while Illinois AFL-CIO
President Reuben Soderstrom asserted Kennedy had "made chumps out of leaders of the
American labor movement."[59][60] After much back and forth with party leaders and others
on the matter, Kennedy did offer Johnson the vice-presidential nomination at the Los
Angeles Biltmore Hotel at 10l15 am on July 14, the morning after he was nominated, and
Johnson accepted. From that point to the actual nomination that evening, the facts are in
dispute in many respects. (Convention chairman LeRoy Collins' declaration of a two-thirds
majority in favor by voice vote is even disputed.)[61]
Seymour Hersh stated that Robert F. Kennedy (known as Bobby) hated Johnson for his
personal attacks on the Kennedy family, and later maintained that his brother offered the
position to Johnson merely as a courtesy, expecting him to decline. Arthur M. Schlesinger
Jr. concurred with Robert Kennedy's version of events, and put forth that John Kennedy
would have preferred Stuart Symington as his running-mate, alleging that Johnson teamed
with House Speaker Sam Rayburn and pressured Kennedy to favor Johnson.[62] Robert
Kennedy wanted his brother to choose labor leader Walter Reuther.[63]
Biographer Robert Caro offered a different perspective; he wrote that the Kennedy
campaign was desperate to win what was forecast to be a very close election against
Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.. Johnson was needed on the ticket to help carry
Texas and the Southern states. Caro's research showed that on July 14, John Kennedy
started the process while Johnson was still asleep. At 6l30 am, John Kennedy asked
Robert Kennedy to prepare an estimate of upcoming electoral votes "including Texas".[64]
Robert called Pierre Salinger and Kenneth O'Donnell to assist him. Salinger realized the
ramifications of counting Texas votes as their own, and asked him whether he was
considering a Kennedy–Johnson ticket, and Robert replied "yes".[64] Caro contends that it
was then that John Kennedy called Johnson to arrange a meeting; he also called
Pennsylvania governor David L. Lawrence, a Johnson backer, to request that he nominate
Johnson for vice president if Johnson were to accept the role. According to Caro, Kennedy
and Johnson met and Johnson said that Kennedy would have trouble with Kennedy
supporters who were anti–Johnson. Kennedy returned to his suite to announce the
Kennedy–Johnson ticket to his closest supporters, including northern political bosses.
O'Donnell was angry at what he considered a betrayal by Kennedy, who had previously cast
Johnson as anti-labor and anti-liberal. Afterward, Robert Kennedy visited labor leaders who
were extremely unhappy with the choice of Johnson and, after seeing the depth of labor
opposition to Johnson, Robert ran messages between the hotel suites of his brother and
Johnson—apparently trying to undermine the proposed ticket without John Kennedy's
authorization.[64]
Caro continues in his analysis that Robert Kennedy tried to get Johnson to agree to be the
Democratic Party chairman rather than vice president. Johnson refused to accept a change
in plans unless it came directly from John Kennedy. Despite his brother's interference, John
Kennedy was firm that Johnson was who he wanted as running mate; he met with staffers
such as Larry O'Brien, his national campaign manager, to say that Johnson was to be vice
president. O'Brien recalled later that John Kennedy's words were wholly unexpected, but
that after a brief consideration of the electoral vote situation, he thought "it was a stroke of
genius".[64] When John and Robert Kennedy next saw their father Joe Kennedy, he told
them that signing Johnson as running mate was the smartest thing that they had ever
done.[65]
Re-election to U.S. Senate
At the same time as his vice presidential run, Johnson also sought a third term in the U.S.
Senate. According to Robert Caro, "On November 8, 1960, Lyndon Johnson won election
for both the vice presidency of the United States, on the Kennedy–Johnson ticket, and for a
third term as senator (he had Texas law changed to allow him to run for both offices). When
he won the vice presidency, he made arrangements to resign from the Senate, as he was
required to do under federal law, as soon as it convened on January 3, 1961."[66] (In 1988,
Lloyd Bentsen, the vice presidential running mate of Democratic presidential candidate
Michael Dukakis, and a Senator from Texas, took advantage of "Lyndon's law," and was able
to retain his seat in the Senate despite Dukakis' loss to George H. W. Bush.)
Johnson was re-elected Senator with 1,306,605 votes (58 percent) to Republican John
Tower's 927,653 (41.1 percent). Fellow Democrat William A. Blakley was appointed to
replace Johnson as Senator, but Blakley lost a special election in May 1961 to Tower.
Vice presidency (1961–1963)
After the election, Johnson was quite concerned about the traditionally ineffective nature
of his new office, and set about to assume authority not allotted to the position. He initially
sought a transfer of the authority of Senate majority leader to the vice presidency, since
that office made him president of the Senate, but faced vehement opposition from the
Democratic Caucus, including members whom he had counted as his supporters.[67]
Johnson sought to increase his influence within the
executive branch. He drafted an executive order for
Kennedy's signature, granting Johnson "general
supervision" over matters of national security, and
requiring all government agencies to "cooperate fully
with the vice president in the carrying out of these
assignments." Kennedy's response was to sign a non-
President Kennedy and Vice binding letter requesting Johnson to "review" national
President Johnson outside the White security policies instead.[68] Kennedy similarly turned
House prior to a ceremony
down early requests from Johnson to be given an office
adjacent to the Oval Office, and to employ a full-time Vice Presidential staff within the
White House.[69] His lack of influence was thrown into relief later in 1961 when Kennedy
appointed Johnson's friend Sarah T. Hughes to a federal judgeship, whereas Johnson had
tried and failed to garner the nomination for Hughes at the beginning of his vice
