Claudia Taylor Johnson
1963-1069

Claudia Alta Taylor was born in Karnack, Texas on December 2, 1912.
Her nickname was "Lady Bird."

Lady Bird's mother died of a bad fall when Lady was five.

Claudia was a very good student. She graduated from the Universtiy of Texas in 1933 in the top 10% of her class.

She met Lyndon Johnson in 1934.

They were married on November 17, 1934 in San Antonio, Texas.

Lyndon Johnson was very demanding of his wife. He told her what to wear and ordered her around in public.

Lady Bird did run the finances. While Lyndon was away during WWII she bought a radio station in Austin, Texas. She developed it into a thriving business.

They had two daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines.

Lady Bird worked extremely hard on Lyndon's campaign for the Senate in 1948.

Lady Bird became First Lady when John F. Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963.

Mrs Johnson was responsible for the passing of the Highway Beautification Act. She promoted the Head Start Program and worked with conservation groups.

After Lyndon Johnson died in 1973, Mrs Johnson served on the board of the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas. She also served on the Board of Regents for the University of Texas and served on the National Parks Advisory Board.

Lady Bird also helped in her son-in-law campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1976.

She founded the National Wildflower Center and is a trustee for the National Georgraphic Society and the American Conservation Association.

Mrs. Johnson died on July 11, 2007. She was the first "First Lady" to die in the 21st Century.

"Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Laura Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, (second row) Caroline Kennedy, Barbara Bush, Susan Ford Bales, (third row) Maria Shriver, and Patricia "Tricia" Nixon Cox attended, representing eight presidential families (excluding the Johnsons and counting George H.W. Bush's family and George W. Bush's family separately)"

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_Johnson

Visit our site on U.S. Presidents

Books and Websites

Books

Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladiesby James Barber and Amy Pastan.
First Ladies: Women Who Called The White House Home (First Ladies) by Beatrice Gormeley.

Websites

http://www.firstladies.org/ National First Ladies Library
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/058_flal.htmlLibrary of Congress, Images of the First Ladies

Comments and/or corrections should be sent to Jim at jim@anewadventure.org.