Lyndon B. Johnson in the POTUS KO ringLyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson: the record and the legends

LBJ. The 36th president, 1963-1969, from Texas. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President
36th
In office
1963-1969
Home state
Texas
Party
Democratic
Height
6'3½"

The record

  • RecordReporters called it the Johnson Treatment. He'd stand chest to chest with a senator, grab a lapel or a shoulder, lean his whole height over him, and flatter and pressure until he got the vote.Source: Miller Center, Johnson: Life Before the Presidency
  • RecordAt 19, Johnson taught at a poor, segregated school for Mexican American kids in Cotulla, Texas. Many came to school hungry. He spent his first paycheck on sports equipment for them, and later said that year shaped his education laws.Source: National Park Service, LBJ: Teacher
  • RecordGeneral MacArthur gave Johnson a Silver Star for a 1942 bomber flight over New Guinea. Nobody else on that plane got a medal, and Johnson himself first wrote that he didn't think he could accept it. He kept it anyway.Source: LBJ Presidential Library, LBJ's Military Service
  • RecordJohnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One in November 1963, the only president ever sworn in on a plane.Source: JFK Library, Swearing-in of Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One

The legends

  • LegendJohnson won a 1948 Senate primary by 87 votes out of about 250,000, and critics called him Landslide Lyndon for years. You'll hear that he stole it. There were fraud charges, but they were never proven in court.Source: Miller Center, Johnson: Life Before the Presidency

What he cared about

  • Ending legal segregation. He built the coalition that passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Protecting the right to vote. He pushed the Voting Rights Act through in 1965, after Selma.
  • Health care for older and low-income Americans. He signed Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

The full record

The draft that fed his escalation of the Vietnam War fell hardest on working-class and minority young men.

How he fights in POTUS KO

The Johnson Treatment

Johnson got things done by getting close and never letting up: grabbing lapels, working 18-hour days, calling in every favor. In the ring he crowds you, ties you up and keeps squeezing.

See POTUS KO

Questions about Lyndon B. Johnson

What was the Johnson Treatment?

Reporters called it the Johnson Treatment. He'd stand chest to chest with a senator, grab a lapel or a shoulder, lean his whole height over him, and flatter and pressure until he got the vote.

Why was Lyndon Johnson called Landslide Lyndon?

Johnson won a 1948 Senate primary by 87 votes out of about 250,000, and critics called him Landslide Lyndon for years. You'll hear that he stole it. There were fraud charges, but they were never proven in court.

Where was Lyndon Johnson sworn in?

Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One in November 1963, the only president ever sworn in on a plane.