Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). After serving a long career in the U.S. Congress, Johnson became the thirty-seventh Vice President; in 1963, he succeeded to the presidency following President John F. Kennedy's assassination. He was a major leader of the Democratic Party and as President was responsible for the passage of key civil rights legislation and Medicare as well as the acceleration of the war in Vietnam. In 1968 his political career ended when, faced with huge opposition to the Vietnam war, he announced that he would not seek re-election.