Lady Bird Johnson Fast Facts
Here’s a look at the life of former First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson.
Personal
Birth date: December 22, 1912
Death date: July 11, 2007
Birth place: Karnack, Texas
Birth name: Claudia Alta Taylor
Father: Thomas Jefferson Taylor, general store owner
Mother: Minnie (Pattillo) Taylor
Marriage: Lyndon Baines Johnson (November 17, 1934-January 22, 1973, his death)
Children: Luci Baines, Lynda Bird
Education: University of Texas, B.A. in history, 1933; University of Texas, B.A. in journalism, 1934
Other Facts
At an early age, a nurse said she was as pretty “as a lady bird.” The nickname stuck.
During her husband’s vice presidency, Johnson traveled to 33 countries.
During her years as first lady, she championed many environmental causes.
Served as an honorary chairman for the National Head Start program while her husband was in office.
Timeline
1937 – Invests some of her inheritance from her mother to finance her husband’s run for Congress. He wins the election.
1948 – Lyndon Johnson is elected to the US Senate.
1960 – Johnson is named the vice presidential running mate of John F. Kennedy.
November 22, 1963 – President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Johnson is sworn in as the 36th president of the United States.
1964 – Johnson is reelected.
1966 – Receives a Peabody Award for the television show “A Visit to Washington with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson on Behalf of a More Beautiful America.”
1969 – Becomes a member of the National Park Service’s Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings and Monuments.
1970 – Her memoir, “A White House Diary,” is released.
January 22, 1973 – Her husband dies.
1971-1977 – Serves as a member of the University of Texas Board of Regents.
1977 – Is awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford.
1982 – Founds the National Wildflower Research Center, in Texas, with an endowment and a donation of 60 acres of land. The center is later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
1988 – Receives the Congressional Gold Medal from President Ronald Reagan.
1993 – Suffers a stroke.
2002 – Suffers a second stroke.
July 11, 2007 – Dies at the age of 94.
