Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson ( born December 22, 1912 in Karnack, Texas, as Claudia Alta Taylor, † July 11, 2007 in Austin, Texas) was the wife of the 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and 22 November 1963 to January 20, 1969 First Lady of the United States.
Childhood and youth
Claudia Johnson was the youngest daughter of Thomas Jefferson Taylor ( TJ, 1874-1960 ) and his wife Minnie Lee Patillo ( 1874-1918 ). She had two older brothers, Thomas (1901-1959) and Antonio (Tony, 1904-1986 ). Her nickname "Lady Bird " comes from their infancy. A nanny said of her that she as pretty as a ladybird (English " lady bird" ) is. Also later this nickname, used with their consent in official matters.
Her mother fell pregnant again, down a flight of stairs and died on 4 September 1918, the consequences of a miscarriage.
Ladybird ended her school career at Marshall High School in Marshall and studied journalism and art at the St. Mary's Episcopal School for Girls and at the University of Texas at Austin.
Marriage
On 17 November 1934 she married Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 - 1973) in the Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. From this marriage two daughters were born: Lynda Bird Johnson ( born March 19, 1944 Wife of Chuck Robb ) and Luci Baines Johnson ( born July 2, 1947 Wife of Pat Nugent and Ian Turpin ).
Entrepreneur
Lady Bird Johnson purchased in 1943 with funds from their inheritance, the small radio station KTBC in Austin and turned it into a radio and television empire. KTBC years had made losses because the broadcasting license of the Federal Communications Commission allowed him only a poor frequency and limited transmission times. Several applications for favorable conditions have been rejected over the years.
Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson, among other things, operational media policy in Washington and close contacts with the FCC Chairman, Clifford Durr entertained, turned to the relevant FCC employees and obtained that within a month after buying the airtime to 24 hours was expanded daily. In addition, the station received a new frequency in a frequency band with no direct neighbors, so that the small local stations are now heard in 38 neighboring counties and thus was able to charge significantly higher advertising rates. KTBC in 1945 was finally allowed a five times higher transmission power, so that now 63 counties were in the reception area. Lyndon B. Johnson also made sure that the previously independent station was added to the network by Columbia Broadcasting System, so that he was attractive and national program this agent available. Lyndon Johnson used his influence in Washington regularly in favor of companies of his home, which were characterized by extensive advertising placements in the transmitters of his wife.
In the first year under the leadership of Johnson, the transmitter reached break and in the following 20 years, Johnson bought from the proceeds of several other radio stations and rose in 1952 in the television business. She held shares in two TV stations and a TV cable provider. They also acquired a bank, three large farms and diverse land, which were summarized Co. over time under the umbrella of the LBJ Holding and managed.
First Lady of the United States
Lady Bird Johnson financed the presidential campaign in 1960 and in 1964 her husband from her extensive fortune. In the fall of 1964, she made an extensive U.S. tour, where she campaigned in own campaign appearances for the re-election of her husband. She was interested in as a child for the protection of the environment, as she grew up near the Caddo Lake in East Texas. When U.S. First Lady she became a conservationist a name. She initiated many new environmental programs.
Ladybird launched a major project to beautify Washington, DC ( Society for a More Beautiful National Capital ) to improve the wellbeing of the residents and visitors of the city.
She defended the Head Start program (promotion of lower-class children).
Your press officer was from 1963 to 1969 Liz Carpenter, also a former student of the University of Texas at Austin. Carpenter was the first journalist who worked for a First Lady. She also worked as Johnson's personnel manager.
Later life
After the exodus from the White House, she moved with her husband back to the ranch. After the death of Lyndon Johnson in January 1973 Ladybird lived until her death still on the ranch. From the 1970s she focused her attention on Austin, Texas. She founded the National Wildflower Research Center, a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and reintroduction of native plants in landscapes projected. This center is now known as "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center ." On 20 June 2006 announced the University of Texas at Austin on a plan to incorporate the Wildflower Center in the University.
In 1977, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom ("The Presidential Medal of Freedom" ), the highest civilian award in the United States.
At the age of 92 years, she became the oldest living First Lady of the United States, they also survived Pat Nixon. Only the former president's wife Bess Truman, who had died as 97 -year-old on 18 October 1982, lived longer than her. Bess Truman, Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford were the only U.S. First Ladies, who were older than 90 years.
In the 90s, Lady Bird Johnson's health deteriorated. In August 1993, she suffered a stroke, which deteriorated their eyesight. She was hospitalized twice, the first time on 11 November 1999 and the second time in January 2005. On 2 May 2002 she suffered her second stroke, after which she was able to speak for some time nor run.
In 2005, she withdrew from the public because they did not want to endanger further their health. In February of the same year her daughter Lynda told in the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, that her mother was now totally blind and not particularly healthy. Lynda also told that she and her sister Luci would read to her mother and still talk to her.
Lady Bird Johnson died on 11 July 2007 in Austin (Texas ) at the age of 94 years. She was buried next to the grave of her husband on the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall. To her funeral appeared under another Bill Clinton and George W. Bush with their families.
Lady Bird Johnson was from the United States Secret Service protects longer than anyone in history.
Worth mentioning
In Washington, DC is the Lady Bird Johnson Park, Redwood National Park, the Lady Bird Johnson Grove.
In the animated series King of the Hill Hank stated that his dog Ladybird is named after Lady Bird Johnson.
Lady Bird Johnson was also a great supporter of the sports department of the University of Texas at Austin. She received the largest donation of football tickets 2005 ( a total of 130 tickets per game) and the third largest donation of baseball tickets in the same year.
English-language literature on Lady Bird Johnson
- David Murphy, Texas Bluebonnet: Lady Bird Johnson, Nova Science Publishers Inc., 2005, ISBN 1-59454-556-1
- January Jarboe Russell, Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-58979-097-9