Highlights

Johnson assumed the presidency on November 22, 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
He signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
His Great Society initiative introduced major domestic programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and federal education funding.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed under his administration, protecting minority voting rights across the nation.
Escalating U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War severely damaged his popularity and led to his decision not to seek re-election in 1968.

Lyndon Baines Johnson served as the 36th President of the United States from November 22, 1963, to January 20, 1969. Thrust into the presidency under tragic circumstances, Johnson quickly established himself as a forceful legislative leader. Drawing on his extensive congressional experience, he pushed through a sweeping domestic agenda that reshaped American society, most notably through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which together dismantled the legal framework of racial segregation and disenfranchisement.

Johnson's Great Society programs represented one of the most ambitious expansions of the federal government in American history, establishing Medicare and Medicaid, funding public education, and launching anti-poverty initiatives. However, his presidency became increasingly overshadowed by the escalating conflict in Vietnam, which consumed vast resources, divided the American public, and triggered widespread protests. Faced with declining approval ratings and a fractured Democratic Party, Johnson announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term, leaving a complex legacy of profound social reform tempered by the burdens of war.