Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson
Official portrait, 1967
First Lady of the United States
In role November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Jacqueline Kennedy
Succeeded by	Pat Nixon
Second Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
Vice President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Pat Nixon
Succeeded by	Muriel Humphrey
Personal details
Born	Claudia Alta Taylor (1912-12-22)December 22, 1912 Karnack, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 11, 2007(2007-07-11) (aged 94) West Lake Hills, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Johnson Family Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lyndon B. Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1934; died 1973)​
Children	Lynda Luci
Education	St. Mary's Episcopal College for Women University of Texas, Austin (BA, BJ)
Signature

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (née Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was the first lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of former president Lyndon B. Johnson. She served as the second lady from 1961 to 1963 when her husband was vice president.

Notably well educated for a woman of her era, Lady Bird proved a capable manager and a successful investor. After marrying Lyndon Johnson in 1934 when he was a political hopeful in Austin, Texas, she used a modest inheritance to bankroll his congressional campaign and then ran his office while he served in the Navy.

As First Lady, Johnson broke new ground by interacting directly with Congress, employing her press secretary, and making a solo electioneering tour. She advocated beautifying the nation's cities and highways ("Where flowers bloom, so does hope"). The Highway Beautification Act was informally known as "Lady Bird's Bill". She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1984, the highest honors bestowed upon a U.S. civilian. Johnson has been consistently ranked in occasional Siena College Research Institute surveys as one of the most highly regarded American first ladies per historians' assessments.