Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson
Official portrait, 1967
First Lady of the United States
In role November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Jacqueline Kennedy
Succeeded by	Pat Nixon
Second Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
Vice President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Pat Nixon
Succeeded by	Muriel Humphrey
Personal details
Born	Claudia Alta Taylor (1912-12-22)December 22, 1912 Karnack, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 11, 2007(2007-07-11) (aged 94) West Lake Hills, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Johnson Family Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lyndon B. Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1934; died 1973)​
Children	Lynda Luci
Parents	Thomas Jonson Taylor Minnie Lee Pattillo
Education	St. Mary's Episcopal College for Women University of Texas, Austin
Profession	businesswoman activist environmentalist advocate
Signature

Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) commonly known as Lady Bird Johnson, was an American businesswoman who served as the first lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th U.S. president. Before becoming first lady, she was the second lady from 1961 to 1963 when her husband was vice president.

Biography

Education

She graduated third in her class at the age of 15 from Marshall Senior High School in the nearby county seat. Despite her young age, her father gave her a car so that she could drive herself to school.

After graduating from high school in May 1928, Lady Bird entered the University of Alabama for the summer session, where she took her first journalism course. But, homesick for Texas, she stayed home and did not return for the fall term at Alabama. Instead, she and a high school friend enrolled at St. Mary's Episcopal College for Women, an Episcopal boarding junior college for women in Dallas.

After graduating from St. Mary's in May 1930, Taylor returned to Texas to Alabama. She enrolled into the University of Texas. She received a bachelor of arts in history with honors in 1933 and a second bachelor's degree in journalism in 1934. Taylor was active on campus in different organizations, including Texas Orange Jackets, a women's honorary service organization, and believed in student leadership. Her goal was to become a reporter, but she also earned a teaching certificate.

Career

In January–February 1943, during World War II, Johnson spent $17,500 of her inheritance to purchase KTBC, an Austin radio station. She bought the radio station from a three-man partnership from Robert B. Anderson. She served as president of the LBJ Holding Co., and her husband negotiated an agreement with the CBS radio network. Despite her husband's objections, Lady Bird expanded by buying a television station in 1952.

Eventually, Johnson's $41,000 investment turned into more than $150 million for the LBJ Holding Company. She was the first president's wife to have become a millionaire before her husband was elected to office. She remained involved with the company until she was in her eighties.

Second Lady of the United States (1961–1963)

In 1960, then Senator John F. Kennedy choose LBJ as his running mate for vice president for the upcoming presidential election. Johnson became the second lady of the United States when her husband was sworn in as the 37th vice president on January 20, 1961. As second lady, Johnson served as a substitute for Kennedy at official events and functions. Within her first year, she had substituted for Kennedy at more than 50 events, roughly one per week.

First Lady of the United States (1963–1969)

In November 1963, Vice President Johnson and Lady Bird embarked on a political trip with the president and first lady to Dallas as the president and vice president were planning to run for reelection in 1964. On November 22nd, President Kennedy was instead assassinated while riding in the presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza with First Lady Jacqueline. The president was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he did not survive his gunshot wounds. Shortly after returning to Air Force One at Dallas Love Field, Vice President Johnson was sworn-in as the 36th U.S. president with Lady Bird becoming the first lady of the United States.

As first lady, Lady Bird traveled nationally on nine trips to raise awareness of parks and scenic areas, came out against adding dams to the Grand Canyon, and wrote letters and spoke for the preservation of the California Redwoods and other historic sites. She also visited historic sites, national parks, and scenic areas, accompanied by the National Park Service, a number of dignitaries and the media. Her nine beautification trips included Virginia historic places, the Hudson River in New York, and Big Bend National Park.

In 1964, Lady Bird formed the Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, responding to Mary Lasker's suggestion that she make Washington, D.C., a "garden city" and a model for the rest of the nation. Soon afterward Mrs. Lasker, a philanthropist who lobbied for medical research as well as for natural beauty and Johnson founded the Society for a More Beautiful National Capital, which received private donations for the project.

She was also highly involved in the president's war on poverty, focusing in particular on the Head Start project for preschool children. In 1965, she took the lead role in calling for passage of the Highway Beautification Act. The legislation called for control of outdoor advertising, including removal of certain types of signs along the nation's Interstate system and the existing federal-aid primary system.

As first lady, Lady Bird was also concerned with pollution, urban decay, recreation, mental health, public transportation and the crime rate. The committee agreed to plant flowers in triangle parks all over the city, to give awards for neighborhood beautification, and to press for the revitalization of Pennsylvania Avenue and the preservation of Lafayette Park. The committee also generated large donations of cash and azaleas, cherry trees, daffodils, dogwood and other plants in Washington's parks and green spaces.

Life after the White House

After leaving the White House, Lady Bird continued to be active in public life. Her husband died of a heart attack in January 1973, four years after leaving office. She remained in the public eye, honoring her husband and other presidents.

In the 1970s, Johnson focused her attention on the Austin riverfront area through her involvement in the Town Lake Beautification Project. From 1971 to 1978, she served on the board of regents for the University of Texas System. She also served on the National Park Service Advisory Board, and was the first woman to serve on National Geographic Society's board of trustees. In December 1973, after President Richard Nixon established the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac.

In November 1977, Johnson spoke at the 1977 National Women's Conference among other speakers including Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Bella Abzug, Barbara Jordan, Cecilia Burciaga, Gloria Steinem, Lenore Hershey and Jean O'Leary. In June 1981, Dartmouth College stated that Johnson and former President Gerald Ford would serve as co-chairs of the fundraising committee for the Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences.

In 1982, Johnson and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center west of Austin, Texas, as a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and reintroducing native plants in planned landscapes. In 1994, the center opened a new facility southwest of Austin; they officially renamed it the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1995 in acknowledgment of her having raised $10 million for the facility.

In 1988, Johnson convened with three other former first ladies, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, and Pat Nixon at the "Women and the Constitution" conference at The Carter Center to assess that document's impact on women. The conference featured over 150 speakers and 1,500 attendees from all 50 states and 10 foreign countries. The conference was meant to promote awareness on sexual inequality in the United States and other countries. In September 1991, Johnson unveiled a new line of English porcelain flower sculpture that drew influence from American wildflowers in the Corrigan's Jewelry at NorthPark Center in Dallas. In April 1990, President George H. W. Bush praised her for her support of her husband and work toward beautifying landscapes.

Death and funeral

Johnson died at home on July 11, 2007, from natural causes. She was 94 years old. Johnson's funeral was a public event and was held at the Texas State Capitol on July 15. The Johnson family had a private burial in Stonewall, Texas and was later buried next to her husband at Johnson Family Cemetery.

Honors and awards

In November 1968, Columbia Island, in Washington, D.C., was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park in honor of her campaign as first lady to beautify the capital. In 1969, President Richard Nixon dedicated a grove of redwood trees as the "Lady Bird Johnson Grove" due to her beautification works as first lady. In 1977, Lady Bird was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford. In 1988, received the Congressional Gold Medal and received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

In 1995, she received an Honor Award from the National Building Museum for her lifetime leadership in beautification and conservation campaigns. She was also named the honorary chairwoman of the Head Start program. In 2007, the town lake in Austin, Texas, was renamed Lady Bird Lake after her death. In 2008, Lady Bird Johnson High School was opened in her honor in San Antonio. In October 2012, the U.S. Postal Service announced the issue of a souvenir forever stamp sheet honoring Johnson as a tribute to her legacy of beautifying the nation's roadsides, urban parks and trails. The stamps were dedicated on November 30, 2012, at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, Lady Bird was posthumously awarded the prestigious Rachel Carson Award. The award presented by Audubon's Women in Conservation, was accepted by her daughter Lynda.

Legacy

Johnson's legacy as First Lady is defined by her own White House staffing, championing the environmental and highway beautification movements, and serving as a vital advisor to her husband.

Her key initiatives and lasting impacts include:

Lady Bird was the first First Lady to hire her own press secretary and chief of staff. This change modernized the office by creating a dedicated team to manage her public projects and communications.

• Environmentalism and Beautification: Lady Bird was often remembered for her passion for planting wildflowers, by this her works championed
  • Highway Beautification Act of 1965: Often called "Lady Bird's Bill," this landmark legislation set air quality standards, built scenic overlooks, and heavily restricted uneven billboards and junkyards along public highways.
  • Capital Beautification: She created the First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capital and the Society for a More Beautiful National Capital, undertaking projects that brought parks, flowers, and tree-lined walkways to Washington, D.C.
  • Post-First Lady Conservation: Her lifelong passion for native plants led to her funding and establishing the National Wildflower Research Center in 1982. which was later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in her honor in 1997.
• Political Activism and Civil Rights: During the 1964 election, she championed the Civil Rights Act by embarking on a solo whistle-stop train tour through eight Southern states. Over four days, she delivered 45 speeches, promoting her husband's administration stance on racial equality in hostile territory.
• Archival Memoirs: Lady Bird worked to preserve the history of her husband's administration and her own time in the White House. She helped establish the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and later published her daily journals as A White House Diary, providing historians with a clear perspective of one of the most harshest periods in time as first lady.

References