Lady Bird Johnson

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Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
Born	December 22, 1912 (age 94) Karnack, Texas, USA
Occupation	First Lady of the United States
Predecessor	Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
Successor	Pat Nixon
Spouse	Lyndon B. Johnson
Children	Lynda and Luci
Parents	Thomas Jefferson Taylor and Minnie Pattillo

Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson (born December 22, 1912) is the widow of former President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson, and was First Lady of the United States from 1963-1969. From infancy she has been known as Lady Bird.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Marriage and family 3 First Lady of the United States 4 Later life 5 In popular culture 6 External links 7 Notes

[edit] Early life

Of English and Scottish descent, Claudia Alta Taylor was born in Karnack, Texas, at The Brick House, the plantation home of her parents. Her father was Thomas Jefferson Taylor, a wealthy businessman who owned a general store; her mother, who died when she was five, was the former Minnie Pattillo (1868-1918). She had two elder brothers, Thomas and Antonio. Mrs. Taylor died under suspicious circumstances after falling down a set of stairs in the family home while pregnant. After she died at a hospital in Marshall, Texas, no official death certificate was ever filed, thereby leaving suspicion regarding the actual cause of death. Following her mother's death, she and her siblings were largely raised by Minnie Taylor's sister, Effie Pattillo.

During her infancy, a nursemaid commented, "She's as pretty as a ladybird", and the nickname virtually replaced her given name for the rest of her life.

Lady Bird Taylor graduated from Marshall Senior High School in Marshall, Texas, studied journalism and art at St. Mary's Episcopal School for Girls, and graduated from the University of Texas.

[edit] Marriage and family

She married Lyndon Baines Johnson on November 17, 1934, at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. After several miscarriages, they had two daughters, Lynda (born 1944), wife of Charles S. Robb, and Luci (born 1947), who married Pat Nugent and Ian Turpin.

She is known for her love of the environment, which she developed as a child growing up near Caddo Lake in East Texas. She helped convince Texas to plant wildflowers on state highways.

[edit] First Lady of the United States

As First Lady, Johnson started a capital beautification project (Society for a More Beautiful National Capital) to improve physical conditions in Washington, D.C., both for residents and tourists. Her efforts inspired similar programs throughout the country. She was also instrumental in promoting the Highway Beautification Act, which sought to beautify the nation's highway system by limiting billboards and by planting roadside areas.

She was an advocate of the Head Start program.

Johnson's press secretary from 1963-1969 was Liz Carpenter, a fellow University of Texas alumna. Carpenter was the first professional newswoman to be press secretary to a first lady, and she also served as Lady Bird's staff director.

[edit] Later life

In the 1970s, she focused her attention on the Austin, Texas riverfront area through her involvement in the Town Lake Beautification Project. On December 22, 1982 (Lady Bird Johnson's 70th birthday) she and Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and reintroducing native plants in planned landscapes, located east of Austin, Texas. The Center opened a new facility southwest of Austin on LeCross Avenue in 1994. It was officially renamed The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1998. On June 20, 2006, The University of Texas at Austin announced plans to incorporate the 279 acre Wildflower Center into the University. ^[1]

After President Johnson died in 1973, Lady Bird remained in the public eye, honoring her husband and other Presidents. She was the most active presidential widow during the 1970s, 1980s and the early 1990s, and she was in attendance at the inauguration of President George W. Bush in January of 2001.

By 1993, however, Johnson's health began to fail. She suffered a minor stroke in August 1993, and became legally blind due to macular degeneration. Johnson was hospitalized for a fainting spell on November 11, 1999. On May 2, 2002, she suffered another stroke, and was left unable to speak coherently or walk without assistance. In January of 2005, she spent a few days in an Austin hospital for treatment of bronchitis.

In February 2006, Lynda Johnson Robb told a gathering at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri that her mother is now totally blind and "is not in very good health". Mrs. Robb also said that she and her sister, Luci Johnson Nugent, still read to their mother and talk to her. ^[2]

At 94, Lady Bird Johnson is currently the oldest surviving First Lady of the United States. Only one former First Lady has lived longer: Bess Truman died at the age of 97 in 1982. Mrs. Johnson and Bess Truman are the only First Ladies of the United States to live to 90 or more. Should Lady Bird Johnson live to or beyond August 26, 2010, she will become the longest living First Lady of the United States. Mrs. Johnson has outlived one of her successors, Pat Nixon, and has also outlived three of her husband's successors as president: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. Lady Bird Johnson has personally known every other First Lady from Eleanor Roosevelt through Laura Bush.

She was the only living presidential widow from May 19, 1994 to June 5, 2004 (some ten years), i.e. between the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the day when Nancy Reagan was widowed.

She has been protected by the United States Secret Service longer than anyone else in history.

Poor health prevented Lady Bird Johnson from attending the state funerals of former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan in 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2006. During both funerals, she was represented by her elder daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb.

Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, and Nancy Reagan are, as of 2007, the only three surviving widows of former U.S. Presidents.

She was an honorary pallbearer for the funeral on May 29, 2006, of former Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. It is unclear whether or not she actually attended the funeral.

On September 13, 2006, Houston news anchor Bill Balleza, when reporting on the death of Ann Richards, said the former Texas governor's death had come as Texans were still mourning the "recent passing" of Lady Bird Johnson. Balleza was actually referring to Nellie Connally, the former First Lady of Texas, who had passed away on September 6, 2006. A clearly embarrassed Balleza apologized later in the broadcast.

On October 13, 2006, Lady Bird Johnson made a rare public appearance at the renovation announcement of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Sitting in a wheelchair and showing signs of recent health problems, Lady Bird seemed engaged and alert, and clapped along with those present at the ceremony.

[edit] In popular culture

Lady Bird Johnson Park is located in Washington, D.C.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove is located in Redwood National and State Parks, Orick, California.

In the show King of the Hill, Hank stated that his dog, Lady Bird, was named after Lady Bird Johnson.

Lady Bird Johnson is also a huge supporter of the University of Texas athletics department. She has received the largest donation of football tickets in 2005 (130 total tickets per game) and the third largest donation of basketball tickets in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

• Lady Bird Johnson: PBS Documentary
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
• NNDB profile
• Flickr.com image search "Lady Bird Johnson Grove"
• http://www.inn-california.com/redwoods/Humboldt/Orick/ladybird1.html

[edit] Notes

Preceded by Pat Nixon	Second Lady of the United States 1961-1963	Succeeded by Muriel Humphrey
Preceded by Jacqueline Kennedy	First Lady of the United States 1963-1969	Succeeded by Pat Nixon
Preceded by Variable (Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign nations); next fixed is Condoleezza Rice	United States order of precedence as of 2007	Succeeded by Betty Ford