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 * Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson**

“A Great Society” for the American people was the vision of Lyndon B. Johnson and under him it was accomplished. In Johnson’s first years of office he pushed through the most extensive legislative programs in the Nation’s history. Some of his programs still benefit the nation today and will continue to have success. Under Johnson the poverty rate malnourished. In 1960’s the average U.S. poverty rate ranged from 20-25 percent, with the help of Johnson’s “War on Poverty” programs and his “Great Society” he managed to reduce it to its all-time low 11 percent. Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908 in Johnson City, Texas. Lyndon’s family weren’t to rich so he felt the pinch of rural poverty as he grew up and had to work his was through Southwest Texas State Teachers College where he learned compassion for the poverty of others when he taught his Mexican descent students. Later in 1937, he campaigned successfully for the House of Representatives on a New Deal platform and he was aided by his wife, Claudia “Lady Bird” Taylor, whom he married in 1934. Claudia was from Karnack, Texas and attended law school with Johnson and this is how they met. Lyndon and Claudia had two children Lynda Bird, born in 1944, and Luci Banes, born in 1947. During World War II he served briefly in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, winning a Silver Star in the South Pacific. After six terms in the House, Johnson was elected to the Senate in 1948. In 1953, he became the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history, and the following year, when the Democrats won control, Majority Leader. With rare skill he obtained passage of a number of key Eisenhower measures. In the 1960 campaign, Johnson, as John F. Kennedy's running mate, was elected Vice President. On November 22, 1963, when Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson was sworn in as President immediately. Before Kennedy was assassinated he had been urging at the time a new civil rights bill and a tax cut, Lyndon later fulfilled this job. Johnson urged the Nation to build a “Great Society.” In 1964, Johnson was elected President with 61 percent of the vote and had the widest popular margin in American history which was more than 15,000,000 votes. Nevertheless, Johnson had two crises ahead of him that had been gaining momentum since 1965. Despite the beginning of new antipoverty and anti-discrimination programs, unrest and rioting in the black ghettos troubled the Nation. President Johnson exerted his influence against segregation, but there was no early solution. Johnson in the long-run done a numerous amount for African American, some still assist them today! The Great Society program became Johnson’s agenda for Congress in January 1965. This program benefited people all over the nation. The program aided to education, attack on disease, formed Medicare, urban renewal, conservation, development, delinquency, removal of obstacles to the right to vote. The elderly people found success through Medicare. Under Johnson the country made spectacular things happen, especially exploration of space in a program he had mastered since its start. When three astronauts successfully orbited the moon in December 1968, Johnson congratulated them. Another crisis at the time came from Vietnam. Johnson made great efforts to end the Communist aggression and achieve peace but fighting continued. The controversy over the war had become severe by the end of March 1968, when he limited the bombing of North Vietnam in order to make negotiations. He startled the nation at the same time by withdrawing as a candidate for re-election so that he could devote his full efforts to the quest for peace. After Johnson left office peace talks were under way. The sad part is Johnson didn’t get to live to see them successful. On January 22, 1973, Johnson died from his third massive heart attack at his Texas ranch.