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Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson
Born:
December 22, 1912 Karnack, Texas
Died:
July 11, 2007, Austin Texas – age: 94
Father:
Thomas Jefferson "T.J." Taylor
Mother:
Minnie Patillo Taylor
Ancestry: Scottish, Spanish, English
Siblings:
Two older brothers, Thomas and Antonio
Physical Description:
5'6" tall, with raven black hair worn in a high, off-the-forehead pompadour style and brown eyes. Mrs. Johnson had a good figure and maintained her weight during the White House years. She once joked, "If I'd known the position in the world I was going to hold, I'd have changed two things: my name and my nose!" She has irregular features, but when lit up by her smile and the intellectual shining in her eyes, she has a remarkably attractive face.
Religion: Episcopalian
Education and Childhood:
Though her real name is Claudia Alta Taylor, from birth she was saddled with the name "Lady Bird". Her nursemaid, Alice Tittle, said that she was "as pretty as a ladybird" and all future attempts to remove the nickname failed.
Her mother died when Lady Bird was five, so her aunt, Effie Patillo, helped to raise her.
Lady Bird was an intelligent, hard-working student who graduated third in her class from Marshall High School. She graduated from St. Mary's Junior College for Girls and got a B.A. from the University of Texas in journalism. She also received a teaching certificate.
While she was visiting a family friend, Eugene Lassiter, Lady Bird was introduced to the aide of Congressman Dick Kleberg, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lyndon asked her to join him for breakfast the next morning, but Lady Bird did not reply. She did, however, show up at the hotel the next morning at the time Lyndon had suggested. A whirlwind romance followed.
Husband:
Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 – 1973)
Courtship and Marriage:
Whirlwind is exactly the way to describe the courtship of Lady Bird and Lyndon – they were married within two months of meeting. Lyndon had proposed to her the same afternoon of their first breakfast, as he was never one to let grass grow under his feet. Lady Bird's lifelong dream of being married in St. Mark's Episcopal Church came true.
Marriage:
November 17, 1934 San Antonio, Texas
Age at Marriage:
21 years, 330 days
Personality:
A serious woman with a strong sense of right and wrong, Lady Bird Johnson was also, in her early years, a woman of self-doubt and uncertainty. As the years passed with Lyndon, she found herself gradually coming out of her shell. She learned to give speeches, to canvass votes and to make phone calls for her husband.
She always kept a strong sense of herself. She never lost sight of her love for nature, of beauty and of the world around her. She always kept a strict control on her temper and learned to laugh at the things she couldn't change. She always kept her dignity and her concern for the feelings of others. If Lyndon lost his patience with people at times, Lady Bird would follow along and make peace.
Lady Bird gave Lyndon advice on his speeches, which were often more honest than he appreciated – but he listened. Whenever she felt her temper rising, she would go out in the hall of their home and study the portraits of the Indian chiefs on the wall, while whistling under her breath. Looking at the chief's impassive faces, she would feel her calm returning. She would then return to her office.
Children:
1. Lynda Bird Johnson (1944 - )
2. Luci (originally Lucy) Baines Johnson (1947 - )
Years Before the White House:
The young Johnson couple settled in Washington, where Lady Bird helped Lyndon in the office, while maintaining a low profile. In the early days, she would take people from Lyndon's district on sightseeing tours. She learned the names of all the politicians and counties in his district.
Lady Bird served as Lyndon's sounding board. When he ran for Congress in 1937, she loaned her husband $10,000 from an inheritance. During World War II, Mrs. Johnson served as a liaison between Lyndon, who was serving in the war, and his constituents.
During this time, she bought radio station KTBC and made it a success. She always had a good financial sense.
When Lyndon ran for the Senate, Lady Bird gave speeches and handled his mail. Once she got in an accident on the way to give a speech and was injured; she gave the speech anyway. Lyndon won the election, and the Johnson's bought a home in Washington on 52nd Street called "The Elms". They also bought the land that would become the Johnson Ranch on the Pedernales River in Texas. After Lyndon became House Majority Leader, their lives became easier.
After Lyndon had a heart attack in 1955, Lady Bird slowed his pace. From this point forward, Lyndon's health always made her fear for the future.
After Lyndon was nominated for Vice President on the ticket with John F. Kennedy, Lady Bird gave press conferences, speeches and traveled over 35,000 miles. She was referred to as the "Secret Weapon" by the Kennedy staff.
As the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Johnson never lost sight of her main goals: helping her husband, helping Mrs. Kennedy and broadening her horizons. To help Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird traveled over 120,000 miles and visited 30 countries. The two women were never close, but they respected and liked each other.
Lady Bird Johnson was with her husband and the Kennedy's on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. She stood next to her husband as he was sworn into office as the thirty-sixth President.
First Lady:
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969: When Mrs. Johnson moved into the black-draped White House, she was accompanied by her daughters. She found that it would be some time before the public accepted her as First Lady, because of their adoration for the glamorous Mrs. Kennedy.
In 1964 Lady Bird made headlines by becoming the first First Lady to go on a campaign trip for her husband by herself. The train tour was called the "Lady Bird Special". Lady Bird left Washington on the "Lady Bird Special" early on the morning of October 6, 1964. She traveled 1,682 miles and spoke at 47 stops. She charmed even her most vocal detractors with her drawl, humor and to-the-point speeches. When Lady Bird arrived at her last stop in New Orleans three days later, a jubilant Lyndon Johnson met her. Mrs. Johnson's trip succeeded in diffusing much of the anger felt by Southerners toward Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
After the election of 1964, Lady Bird Johnson felt comfortable enough to go in her own direction with her First Ladyship. She formed the First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capitol and created the White House Conference on Natural Beauty. The Highway Beautification Bill of 1965 was dubbed the "Lady Bird Bill". Lady Bird took tours into parks and reservations, and pointed out sites of beauty that were being threatened by industry. She made people aware of the dangers to our planet and tried to promote a better understanding of the balance between man and nature. She advocated planting flowers to brighten the inner cities. She took impromptu visits to schools and hospitals. She would often put her arms around the most despondent and tell them to remember that they were loved. She worked daily on her White House Diary, recording her thoughts into an audio machine while her memories were vivid.
Both Johnson daughters were married during the Johnson administration. Luci's conversion to the Catholic faith confused Lady Bird, but she supported her daughter's decision.
Lyndon's growing despondence over the Vietnam War made Lady Bird fear for his health if he ran again in 1968. Project Head Start, her beautification plans and her improvements in the White House were firmly in place, so she wanted to go home. Lyndon Johnson's announcement in March, 1968 that he wouldn't seek re-election made Lady Bird very happy.
Years After the White House:
Lady Bird didn't get to enjoy her husband's company for very long. Lyndon Johnson died from a heart attack in January 1973, leaving a stunned Lady Bird behind.
After Lyndon's death, Lady Bird continued her full and active life, working on the Johnson Library and creating the National Wildlife Research Center. Her "White House Diary" was a best seller, and historians refer to it more than to Lyndon's memoirs. She campaigned for her son-in-law, Charles Robb, first in his campaign for Governor of Virginia, then in his campaign for Senator.
Even after a series of small strokes, Lady Bird continued to come out and greet buses as the passed the Johnson ranch. She always maintained her interest in beauty.
In recent years, health problems have limited Lady Bird's activities.
Legacy:
Lady Bird Johnson's humor, calm manner and graciousness helped her to fulfill her dreams of a more beautiful America. She looked at our nation and asked "how can I make it better?" She took barren or ugly land and by planning, planting and pruning, she made it bloom – and beautiful.
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