December 22: Birthday of Lady Bird Johnson (1912)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who are working to create beautiful environments in which people can thrive.
History Note
Claudia Alta Taylor was born on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Texas. Alice Tittle, a woman who worked for the Taylor family, said that Claudia was “as pretty as a lady bird,” and that nickname stuck for the rest of Claudia’s life.
Lady Bird’s mother died when she was five. An aunt helped to take care of her and her older brothers while their father ran his general store. Lady Bird attended the University of Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a journalism degree.
Lady Bird met Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1934 and married him within a year. They had two daughters, named Lynda Bird and Luci Baines.
When Lyndon Johnson first ran for congress in 1937, Lady Bird helped to fund his campaign from her inheritance. She also purchased and managed a radio station in Austin, Texas. Lady Bird supported her husband’s political career in the U.S. House and Senate.
Lyndon Johnson became vice president under John F. Kennedy in 1961. Lady Bird suddenly became First Lady when President Kennedy was killed in 1963.
One of Lady Bird’s priorities was a concept that became known as beautification. This included planting flowers and improving America’s highways, but it was much more than that. In a 1968 speech at the Convention of the American Institute of Architects in Portland, Oregon, First Lady Johnson said:
For “beautification,” to my mind, is far more than a matter of cosmetics. To me, it describes the whole effort to bring the natural world and the man-made world into harmony; to bring order, usefulness, and delight to our whole environment. . . . The twentieth century citizen, no less than his ancestor of another age, craves and needs to be reminded of his place in nature. The park, the public garden, the shady forest trail, the tree-lined river winding through a city; these are not only physical, but spiritual resources.
Lyndon Johnson left office in 1969 and died in 1973. Lady Bird Johnson received the Medal of Freedom from President Ford in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal from President Reagan in 1988. She continued to work for the good of the environment and her country until her death in 2007.
The Johnsons loved spending time at their ranch in Texas. This photo shows Lady Bird in a field of Texas wildflowers. LBJ Library photo by Robert Knudsen.
Learn More
Learn about the far-reaching environmental legacy of Lady Bird Johnson.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
