Johnson, Lady Bird 1912–2007

(Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, Claudia Taylor Johnson)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born December 22, 1912, in Karnack, TX; died July 11, 2007, in Austin, TX. Conservationist, environmentalist, businesswoman, and author. Johnson became known to the American public as the wife and widow of the controversial thirty-sixth U.S. president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, but she created an enduring legacy that may in some circles outlast his. The Johnsons came to the White House in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. It was a move they had not sought and one that Mrs. Johnson later claimed she never wanted. Following in the footsteps of the elegant and polished Jacqueline Kennedy would have been a difficult challenge for the simple Texas-bred businesswoman with the unlikely name of Lady Bird, which she had acquired as a baby. Instead, Johnson embarked on a path of her own, one that would take her through trial and turmoil, testing her fortitude, and ultimately lead her back to the countryside she loved. As First Lady, Johnson stood behind her husband, often literally, doing his bidding and sometimes, according to eyewitnesses, enduring his verbal tirades, always without complaint. To others, however, she was no victim, but a formidable pillar of courage and support to a man who spent most of his presidency under siege. During his 1964 presidential campaign, which began after he had signed a controversial civil rights act, Mrs. Johnson bravely toured areas of the South where her husband could not safely venture, promoting his campaign with confidence and conviction. During the Vietnam War protests, she faced the most hostile and antagonistic protestors with calmness and grace. At the end of her husband's term of office, Johnson had won the respect of the American people. She was an active political campaigner, often traveling on her own. She was the first national chair of the Head Start program for early childhood education and a tireless supporter of her husband's War on Poverty. Most of all, Johnson wanted to replace ugliness with beauty. She planted flowers throughout the nation's capital with her own hands and campaigned successfully to replace highway trash and billboards with wildflowers and greenery. Johnson's beautification work, which seemed trivial to some at the time, ushered in a new era of conservation and environmental activism that persists to this day. After leaving the White House in 1969, Johnson returned to the LBJ Ranch in Texas and resumed her role as the owner of local radio and television stations, the proceeds from which had originally financed her husband's entrance into politics. She also dedicated herself to the land of Texas and the rest of the country. Johnson founded what is now the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. For her contributions, Johnson was the recipient of many awards, including the U.S. Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Johnson was the first presidential wife since Dolley Madison in the 1840s to record her experiences of life in the White House. Johnson's A White House Diary was published in 1970.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Johnson, Lady Bird, A White House Diary, Holt, Rinehart & Winston (New York, NY), 1970.

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, July 12, 2007, pp. 1, 11.

Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2007, pp. A1, A20-A21.

New York Times, July 12, 2007, pp. A1, C12; July 13, 2007, p. A2.

Times (London, England), July 13, 2007, p. 60.

Washington Post, July 12, 2007, pp. A1, A12-A13.