Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential $1 Coin

Lyndon B. “LBJ” Johnson was born on August 27, 1908 in central Texas. In his youth, Johnson learned the value of education from his mother and developed a passion for politics from his father. He graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930 and, at 26, married Claudia “Lady Bird” Taylor.

In 1937, Johnson embarked on a long political career that spanned more than three decades. He served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and 12 years in the U.S. Senate. Johnson became the youngest Minority Leader in Senate history in 1951 and became the nation’s vice president in 1961. He was sworn in as the 36th U.S. President in 1963 after John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

While president, he worked with Congress to introduce and adopt his Great Society program. Notable accomplishments during Johnson’s administration include:

• Passing more than sixty education bills to help poor children.
• Orbiting the moon — by the first manned spacecraft, Apollo 8 — with three astronauts on-board.
• Enacting important Social Security Act legislation to provide healthcare stability for millions of elderly.
• Authorizing the establishment of numerous national parks.
• Passing the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and the Voting Rights Acts, preventing racial discrimination in voting.

After leaving the presidency in 1969, Johnson stayed at his family ranch in Stonewall, Texas. Later, he donated the ranch to the public to form the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.