JOHNSON, LYNDON B.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973) was a congressional aide, director of the Texas National Youth Administration, U.S. congressman, U.S. senator, vice president, and president of the United States. Reared by his politically active parents for a career of public service, Johnson learned early the importance of choosing powerful mentors such as Sam Rayburn and Franklin Roosevelt. His political legacy is mixed: as president, Johnson enacted farreaching civil rights legislation while also further miring the nation in the Vietnam War. Johnson's political style was pragmatic and activist, for he was committed to a reform agenda rooted in New Deal economic liberalism.

After graduating from college, Johnson taught briefly in a Mexican-American school in Cotulla, Texas, where he observed firsthand the viciousness of poverty and segregation. In 1931 his father helped him gain a post as secretary to Congressman Richard Kleberg, a Democrat from south Texas. Since Kleberg cared little about the daily duties of his office, many of the responsibilities of managing legislation and constituent concerns fell to Johnson, who handled them with aplomb. Further recognition of his political acumen came with his leadership of the "little congress," an important behind-the-scenes organization of congressional aides and Johnson's growing list of older, more powerful political confidants. In 1935 he was a rising star in the Democratic Party and was tapped by President Roosevelt to become the director of the National Youth Administration in Texas. In that position, Johnson oversaw a successful jobs program that included the construction of countless state roadside parks; a student aid program that funded high school, college, and graduate students; and an employment referral service. During his tenure, Johnson ensured that African-American and Mexican-American students received equitable treatment.

In 1937, the congressman from Texas's tenth district died, opening a seat to be filled in a special election. Johnson, a virtual unknown in the district, bested a field of nine candidates. His campaign slogan was "Franklin D. and Lyndon B.," and he presented himself as the consummate New Dealer, even endorsing Roosevelt's Supreme Court packing plan. Once in Congress, Johnson worked hard for New Deal issues such as rural electrification. He helped bring a series of dams and water projects to the lower Colorado River in Texas, completely remaking the economics of the Texas Hill Country. Johnson's eleven years in Congress were successful, and his ambitions and his political talent ultimately took him to the White House.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Conkin, Paul. Big Daddy from the Pedernales: Lyndon Baines Johnson. 1986.

Dallek, Robert. Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908–1960. 1991.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Papers. Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, Tex.

Schwarz, Jordan A. The New Dealers: Power Politics in the Age of Roosevelt. 1993.