Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27, 1908. He lived and grew up in central Texas. His Great Society program may
have been inspired by his own rise from troubled times, working through the Southwest Texas State Teachers College. During
World War II, he served in the Navy and received a Silver Star. He held office in the senate, and was the Minority Leader
in 1953. He later became the Majority Leader, when the Democratic Party took control of the Senate. Although he hoped to
become president himself, he accepted the nomination for vice president to John F. Kennedy in 1960. This guarranteed his
later rise to the presidency. However, the good his administration did was soon overshadowed by one event: the Vietnam War.
|
