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Lady Bird Johnson: 1912 - 2007
July 18, 2007
Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
-Edgar Allen Poe
-Edgar Allen Poe
A story in the San Francisco Chronicle (July 12, 2007) shared these observations about her life....
"As the wife of the 36th president, Johnson was often portrayed by contemporaries and some historians as a meek woman who silently endured her husband's volcanic outbursts and infidelities. Yet she, perhaps more than any presidential wife since Eleanor Roosevelt, expanded the terrain of the first lady by taking a visible role in her husband's administration.
"Her love of nature was enshrined in law when her husband signed the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 �" the first major legislative campaign begun by a first lady. Although often eclipsed by protests over the Vietnam War and civil rights �" the dominant issues of President Johnson's tenure from 1963 to 1969 �" her effort to replace urban blight with flowers and trees prepared the way for the environmental movement of the 1970s.
"'I think there is no legacy she would more treasure than to have helped people recognize the value in preserving and promoting our native land,' Luci Baines Johnson said in a statement.
"As her husband's key personal adviser throughout his career, she championed Head Start, the early childhood education program.
"Johnson often was compared unfavorably with her predecessor, Jacqueline Kennedy. Johnson did not wear designer clothes or introduce French chefs to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but she was the most active first lady since Roosevelt. As a businesswoman, Johnson had the foresight early in her husband's career to buy a debt-ridden Austin radio station and parlay it into a broadcast empire eventually worth millions. She was, according to biographer Jan Jarboe Russell, the only first lady to have built and sustained a fortune with her own money."
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Comments (5)
Displaying All 5 CommentsWestover Consultants Inc
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Thanks for providing an EED on Lady Bird Johnson (Claudia Taylor) and for the brief reference to her support of Head Start in its earliest years. For the NAEYC History Seminar earlier this century, I presented papers on American First Ladies for two consecutive years.
Mrs. Johnson was the first First Lady born in the 20th century (1912). To date, we have had eight others born in the century in which we and most of our parents were born. The youngest First Lady was Jacqueline Kennedy who entered the White House at age 31.
There are many books about all the First Ladies. Check your libraries, bookstores (museums with a historical emphasis are best, and Amazon.com. Then, go to biographies or autobiographies of those who interest you most. There are quite a few who were involved in children's issues and programs, including some who lived and died in the 19th century. Perhaps an EED on those First Ladies will be forthcoming!
Warwick, RI, United States
I find this article very interesting. I would love to learn more about Lady Bird Johnson's life and interest in early childhood. Not much was discussed about her on the news, which doesn't surprise me. After all, she didn't wear the designer clothes, but did make an impact in early childhood and the environment. Our society should take a close look at what it finds important in a person's life and what makes a "first lady" memorable. The sad truth is, that I, myself, didn't know much about Lady Bird Johnson until I read this article, but I did know about her predecessor, Jacqueline Kennedy.
United States
Do you have references to any other written material on Lady Bird Johnson's interest or involvement in early childhood? I have worked in early childhood for 30 years and this is the first time I have seen anything written about her being a "friend of early childhood", or how "she championed Head Start, the early childhood education program".
Community Coordinated Child Care
McHenry, IL, United States
It seemed that little media attention was given at the national level to the passing of this strong woman who was a supporter of environmental and child care issues. Thank you for sharing the information.
United States
As a native Texan, I was particularly saddened by Lady Bird's passing. I thank you for sharing this article, and reminding us all of the power of women, all women, to change the world.
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