#Lyndon B. Johnson Library § Museum

[deadpresidents]

On May 8th of each year of Lyndon B. Johnson's Presidency, LBJ made sure that he made a phone call to the house at 219 North Delaware Street in Independence, Missouri, where former President Harry S. Truman was living in retirement and celebrating another birthday. Truman would always insist that President Johnson had far more important things to do with his time than call a retired old Missouri politician, and LBJ would insist that he couldn't think of anything more important to do with his time than take a moment to thank Harry Truman for his service to the country.

Truman celebrated 88 birthdays before he died on December 26, 1972, nearly four years after Johnson had left the White House and retired to his ranch in Texas. At the time of Truman's death, LBJ was also a very sick man, but he refused to listen to doctors who urged him not to make the trip to Truman's funeral in Missouri.

When an ailing Lyndon Johnson bowed his head while paying respect before Truman's casket on December 27, 1972, it was the last time many Americans saw LBJ alive. Lyndon Johnson died less than a month later, on January 22, 1973, and was buried in the family graveyard at the LBJ Ranch in Texas almost one month to the day after he stood next to Harry S. Truman's flag-draped casket in Missouri.

[diekulterin]

Die Angst geht um in Amerika: Texas 13. 2 – 1. 3. 2025

[sildarmillion-grounds]

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum

LBJ Library: LBJ Presidential Library

Located in the LBJ School of Public Affairs Campus. Visited 27 August 2018.

More pictures from the LBJ School of Public Affairs Campus, including the LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections. Visited January 9 2020.

[deadpresidents]

I've actually never seen this photo of LBJ!

The @richardnixonlibrary in Orange County is not just one of the best Presidential Libraries in the National Archives system (and has the unique feature of having Nixon's birthplace on site, just a few dozen feet from his gravesite), but they also have one of the best Tumblr sites for history content! You guys should follow them.

#OTD 1/22/1973 Former President Lyndon Baines Johnson died at the age of 64 following his third heart attack. In his statement on President Johnson’s death, President Nixon said, “No man had greater dreams for America than Lyndon Johnson. Even as we mourn his death, we are grateful for his life, which did so much to make those dreams into realities. And we know that as long as this Nation lives, so will his dreams and his accomplishments.” (Image: WHPO-1892-14A)

[xkittzkornerx]

it’s Martin Luther King Day! 🫶🏻 (history & learning resources)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born Michael Luther King, Jr., was an American human rights activist, political philosopher, Baptist minister, and one of the most notable pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1964) in the United States during the Jim Crow Era of law, which legalized segregation of Black folks from White ones, and bred many acts of hatred, ostracism, and frequent violence against Black Americans.

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15th, 1929, to his mother, Alberta Williams King, and his father, Martin Luther King, Sr. (then Michael Luther King, Sr.). a young woman by the name Coretta Scott would be attending the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, the same time that King was studying at Boston University. they soon fell in love, married on June 18th, 1953, and in September 1954, settled down in Montgomery, Alabama.

Coretta gave him four children: two sons, Martin Luther King III (Oct. 23rd, 1957 - present) and Dexter Scott King (Jan. 30th, 1961 - Jan. 22nd, 2024), and two daughters, Yolanda Denise King (Nov. 17th, 1955 - May 15th, 2007) and Bernice Albertine King (Mar. 28th, 1963 - present).

on Nov. 2nd, 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law. this made the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of King and his work. it would take fifteen years for the holiday to be approved by the federal government, and seventeen more for it to be recognized in every state. (that’s a total of thirty-two years spent by activists, fighting for it to be in all fifty states!)

from the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture | a pin-back button promoting Martin Luther King Day 1982 (source)

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.… We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." — MLK, Jr.

from naacp.org:

“In 1963, King and the SCLC worked with NAACP and other civil rights groups to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which attracted 250,000 people to rally for the civil and economic rights of Black Americans in the nation's capital. There, King delivered his majestic 17-minute "I Have a Dream" speech. Along with other civil rights activists, King participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. The brutal attacks on activists by the police during the march were televised into the homes of Americans across the country. When the march concluded in Montgomery, King gave his "How Long, Not Long" speech, in which he predicted that equal rights for African Americans would be imminently granted. His legendary words are widely quoted today: "How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Less than six months later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act banning disenfranchisement of Black Americans.”

in the spring of 1968, Black sanitary workers went on strike in Memphis, Tennessee. these works were protesting their racist White employer’s behaviors: low pay, abusive working conditions, unsafe work environments, and union busting. King arrived in Memphis on April 3rd, to prepare for a march in support of the workers.

around 6pm CST, on April 4th, 1968, on the balcony of his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel, Dr. King was shot by a White supremacist. his advisor and close friend, Ralph Abernathy, ran to King’s side and cradled his head.

paramedics rushed him to St. Joseph’s Hospital where at 7:05pm CST, he was pronounced dead.

from kinginstitute.stanford.edu:

“President Lyndon B. Johnson called for a national day of mourning to be observed on 7 April. In the following days, public libraries, museums, schools, and businesses were closed, and the Academy Awards ceremony and numerous sporting events were postponed. On 8 April King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and other family members joined thousands of participants in a march in Memphis honoring King and supporting the sanitation workers. King’s funeral service was held the following day in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church. It was attended by many of the nation’s political and civil rights leaders, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and Ralph Bunche. Morehouse College President Benjamin Mays delivered the eulogy, predicting that King “would probably say that, if death had to come, I am sure there was no greater cause to die for than fighting to get a just wage for garbage collectors” (Mays, 9 April 1968). Over 100,000 mourners followed two mules pulling King’s coffin through the streets of Atlanta. After another ceremony on the Morehouse campus, King’s body was initially interred at South-View Cemetery. Eventually, it was moved to a crypt next to the Ebenezer Church at the King Center, an institution founded by [Coretta Scott King].”

today, and tomorrow, and all days following, we remember, thank, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for a better tomorrow.

sources

Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture - The 15 Year Battle for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Stanford University Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - King, Coretta Scott

Stanford University Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The King Center - About Mrs. Coretta Scott King

New England Conservatory - Celebrate Boston’s Greatest Love Story: A Look Back at Coretta Scott King ’51, ’71 Hon. DM and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Historic First Meeting

extras/learning material

The King Center - About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Education Association (NEA) - Lesson plans, activity ideas & other resources for teaching MLK Day

PBS - Martin Luther King Jr. Day classroom resources

We Are Teachers - 30 Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for All Ages

Civil Rights Teaching - Teaching King Beyond “I Have a Dream”

Louisiana State University Libraries - Martin Luther King, Jr. timeline

Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture - Gestures of Solidarity in African American Culture

UNICEF USA - 5 Ways to Stand Up Against Racism and Injustice

Richton Park Public Library District - 11 Speeches by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cross Cultural Solidarity - MLK: Speeches, Sermons, Essays, & Interviews

[alaturkanews]

Biden to Call for Changes to Supreme Court During Austin Visit

President Biden is expected to deliver remarks on Monday pushing for legislation that would bring major changes to the Supreme Court, including imposing term limits and creating an enforceable code of ethics on the justices. The president is scheduled to speak at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, his first public engagement since announcing his decision to…

[brasilconspiracao]

The Russian Revolution was made by US capitalists - Crony Capitalists promoted communism for World Domination - Wall Street and The Bolshevik Revolution (Professor Anthony C. Sutton) - and the creation of communism is strictly connected with secret societies such as Freemasonry and the Illuminati

Washington as a freemason Commander of the American Army, 1775, President of the United States, 1789, Initiated, November 4th 1752, in Fredericksburg, Lodge No. 4, Virginia. Passed, March 3rd 1753 Raised, August 4th 1753 / / lithography by Strobridge & Co. Lith. - digital file from original item | Library of Congress (loc.gov)

ARE CRONY CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM TWO SIDES OF SAME COIN? Are Crony Capitalism and Communism two sides of Same coin? | Apekshit Mulay (apekmulay.com)

President Harry Truman: "Although I hold the highest civil honour in the world, I have always regarded my rank and title as a Past Grand Master of Masons the greatest honour that had ever come to me"

President Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

LEARN ABOUT FREEMASONRY: HOW MANY US PRESIDENTS WERE FREEMASONS? Learn about freemasonry: How many US Presidents were freemasons? | Museum of Freemasonry (museumfreemasonry.org.uk)

How many Presidents of the United States of America have been freemasons? It’s a very popular question. The answer is fourteen, or fifteen if you include Lyndon B. Johnson, President 1963-1969, who was initiated into freemasonry in 1937 but never progressed beyond the first degree of Entered Apprentice. The rest, however, have had something of a more fruitful relationship with their lodges. Here are all those US Presidents in chronological order with the facts about their membership:

[posttexasstressdisorder]

LBJ was never meant to be president, ever. 

They falsified the numbers almost 20 years prior, in the 1948 Texas elections!

I’ll let those of a certain age take a moment and let that soak in.

[fresheyepie]

TEST

[Opening shot of the Texas state Capitol building in Austin]

Narrator: Welcome to Austin, Texas – the state capital and one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the United States.

[Cut to a shot of the city skyline at sunset]

Narrator: Known for its music, arts, and outdoor activities, Austin is a city that has something to offer for everyone. Whether you're a history buff, a foodie, or a nature lover, you'll find plenty to see and do in this city.

[Cut to a shot of the historic Sixth Street]

Narrator: Let's start with the historic Sixth Street. This is the city's entertainment district, and it's home to a wide variety of bars, clubs, and music venues. Whether you're in the mood for live music, dancing, or just a casual drink, you'll find it all here.

[Cut to a shot of the LBJ Presidential Library]

Narrator: If you're interested in history, then you should definitely check out the LBJ Presidential Library. This museum tells the story of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his legacy, and it's a great place to learn more about the history of the United States.

[Cut to a shot of the Congress Avenue Bridge]

Narrator: Another must-see site in Austin is the Congress Avenue Bridge. This bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, and every evening, you can watch as hundreds of thousands of bats take to the skies.

[Cut to a shot of the Greenbelt]

Narrator: And finally, if you're a nature lover, then you should definitely check out the Greenbelt. This park is home to miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as beautiful swimming holes and scenic overlooks.

[Closing shot of the Texas state Capitol building at night]

Narrator: So whether you're here for the music, the history, or the natural beauty, Austin has something to offer for everyone. We hope you enjoy your stay in this amazing city.

[deadpresidents]

So now we’ve seen some nice-looking Oval Office setups. Do you have some atrocious ones?

When President Kennedy traveled to Texas in November 1963 and was scheduled to be away from the White House for a few days, White House staff put the finishing touches on a planned redecoration of his Oval Office. JFK, of course, was assassinated on that trip, so he actually never saw his redecorated office, but it was pretty brutal-looking, in my opinion, as they installed a bright red carpet that just didn't seem to fit in the Oval Office:

Here's a comparison of the Oval Office when JFK took office in 1961, which largely looked like the decor used by President Eisenhower throughout the Eisenhower Administration, and the ugly, red carpet redecoration that Kennedy never saw due to his assassination:

When LBJ assumed office following JFK's assassination, he kept the bright red carpet for a while, but eventually redecorated again and got rid of the carpet. LBJ also swapped out the legendary Resolute desk that has been used by most Presidents over the past 120 years. President Johnson was a physically large man, and he installed a larger desk that he had previously used when he was in the Senate and serving as Vice President. The desk that LBJ used -- which is actually called the "Johnson desk" -- is now on display at the LBJ Presidential Library | @lbjlibrary | in Austin, Texas in the museum's Oval Office replica, which displays LBJ's Oval Office as it looked once he replaced the ugly red carpet and had the office redecorated to suit his own tastes.

[justforbooks]

The Resolute desk, also known as the Hayes desk, is a nineteenth-century partners' desk used by several presidents of the United States in the White House Oval Office as the Oval Office desk. It was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 and was built from the oak timbers of the British Arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute. The 1,300-pound (590-kilogram) desk was created by William Evenden, a skilled joiner at Chatham Dockyard in Kent, probably from a design by Morant, Boyd, & Blanford. The desk has been modified twice. Franklin Roosevelt requested the addition of a door with the presidential seal to conceal his leg braces and a safe but it was not installed until 1945, after his death. A two-inch tall plinth was added to the desk in 1961 and replaced in 1986.

HMS Resolute was abandoned in Melville Sound in 1854 while searching for Sir John Franklin and his lost expedition. It was found in 1855 floating in Davis Strait by George Henry, an American whaling ship. The Resolute was repaired and returned to England as a gesture of goodwill from the United States. After serving in the British Navy for a further 23 years as a supply vessel, the ship was decommissioned in 1879 and subsequently broken up in Chatham Dockyard in Chatham, England. A competition was held to design and build a piece of furniture that Queen Victoria could gift to the American president, built from the timbers of Resolute. Morant, Boyd, & Blanford won this contest and this desk was constructed shortly after.

The Resolute desk was moved to the second floor of the White House shortly after it was received on November 23, 1880. It stayed in the President's Office and Presidents Study on the east side of the second floor until the White House Reconstruction from 1948 to 1952. After the reconstruction it was placed in the Broadcast Room where Dwight D. Eisenhower used it during both radio and television broadcasts. Jackie Kennedy rediscovered the desk languishing under electrical equipment and had it brought to the Oval Office in 1961. The desk was removed from the White House after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, when President Lyndon Johnson allowed it to be taken on a traveling exhibition with artifacts of the Kennedy Presidential Library. It was then put on display in the Smithsonian Institution. President Jimmy Carter brought the desk back to the Oval Office in 1977, where it has remained since, save that George H. W. Bush used the C&O desk in the Oval Office but kept the Resolute desk in the White House.

Two other furniture pieces were created from the timbers of the Resolute. The widow of Henry Grinnell, a wealthy philanthropist who spent large sums of money trying to find Sir John Franklin and his ships, received a desk now known as the Grinnell Desk. Queen Victoria also had a table made from the Resolute's timbers for herself to be used on her steam powered yacht, HMY Victoria and Albert. The first replica of the Resolute desk was commissioned in 1978 for a permanent display at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Massachusetts, and since then five other presidential libraries and countless other museums, libraries, tourist attractions, and private homes and offices have acquired copies of the desk.

H.M.S. 'Resolute', forming part of the expedition sent in search of Sir John Franklin in 1852, was abandoned in Latitude 74º 41' N. Longitude 101º 22' W. on 15th May 1854. She was discovered and extricated in September 1855, in Latitude 67º N. by Captain Buddington of the United States Whaler 'George Henry'. The ship was purchased, fitted out and sent to England, as a gift to Her Majesty Queen Victoria by the President and People of the United States, as a token of goodwill & friendship. This table was made from her timbers when she was broken up, and is presented by the Queen of Great Britain & Ireland, to the President of the United States, as a memorial of the courtesy and loving kindness which dictated the offer of the gift of the 'Resolute'.

– brass plaque affixed to the desk

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[brialynnxoxo]

Jacqueline Kennedy

I’m going to be honest, this is the only person that I didn’t know much about before doing research specifically to add her to this blog. I only knew Jacqueline Kennedy as the pretty, dainty wife of John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated right next to her for millions of people to see. Despite the fact that I didn't know much about her, I always felt that there was a quiet strength in the beautiful woman wearing the gorgeous two piece pink tweed skirt set. And after diving into her life, I realized my feeling was right. 

Jacqueline Kennedy was born on July 28, 1929 in New York. She attended George Washington University where she studied French Literature, earning her Bachelors of Art degree. Prior to marrying John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline worked at Washington Times and Vogue. 

After marrying Kennedy and becoming the First Lady of the United States, Jacqueline was very committed to her role. She was more than a trophy wife, Jacqueline planned and organized many important dinners and events that took place at the White House during her time there. She also played a role in politics, having saved the Grand Central Station from being destroyed. Jacqueline was also the first (and only) First Lady to win an Emmy Award. She won the award for her tour of the White House, which she played a huge role in renovating and decorating. 

Jacqueline had a deep-rooted love and appreciation for culture. She would often accompany Kennedy as he would travel all over the world throughout his presidency. She spoke four languages and many said that her connection with the people that she met wherever she travelled was very authentic and deeper than that of previous First Ladies. 

As beautiful and graceful as she was, Jacqueline was no stranger to pain. Jacqueline suffered a miscarriage and lost a son just hours after his birth. Even though she dealt with both of these tragedies in the public eye, she handled them with poise, still carrying on with her duties as the First Lady. 

Friday November 22, 1963 was probably the hardest day for Jacqueline Kennedy. This was the day that she watched her husband get shot and killed right in front of her, his blood splattering all over her beautiful pink skirt set. Probably one of her most memorable acts was wearing the blood stained outfit to Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration just hours later. “Let them see what they have done...” she said. Reading that statement gave me chills.

While most wouldn’t know what to do with themselves after watching the love of their life get killed right in front of them, she handled herself with so much grace and refused to let it break her. She planned her husband’s entire funeral, and created the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in his honor. 

Along with being a woman of strength, intelligence and beauty, Jacqueline is also remembered for her sense of fashion. During this time she was often criticized for her expensive taste in French clothing, but many of her outfits today are what would be considered “timeless”.

Like I said before, I didn’t know very much about Jacqueline Kennedy prior to writing this blog; but I knew that there was something about her that was special. Learning about how a woman who has endured so much trauma and heartache could still show so much class and turn her tragedies into something beautiful is truly inspiring. 

[richardnixonlibrary]

"As I said at the dedication of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, he was a "partisan of principle." He was a dynamic leader, a unique personality, and a man of great ability and unshakable courage." - from President Nixon's statement on the death of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson #OTD 1/22/1973.

(Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, D4241-15A)

[jkottke]

How the Relentless Robert Caro "Turns Every Page" in Pursuit of Powerful Prey

Since 1976, Robert Caro has been writing a multi-volume biography of former US President Lyndon B. Johnson -- the first volume is called The Path to Power. In this absolutely fantastic piece he wrote for the latest issue of the New Yorker, Caro details some of his thoughts and strategies about writing and research that have served him well as he's pursued the topic of power for more than 50 years. Here he writes about what his editor told him at an early stage in his career:

He didn't look up. After a while, I said tentatively, "Mr. Hathway." I couldn't get the "Alan" out. He motioned for me to sit down, and went on reading. Finally, he raised his head. "I didn't know someone from Princeton could do digging like this," he said. "From now on, you do investigative work."

I responded with my usual savoir faire: "But I don't know anything about investigative reporting."

Alan looked at me for what I remember as a very long time. "Just remember," he said. "Turn every page. Never assume anything. Turn every goddam page." He turned to some other papers on his desk, and after a while I got up and left.

"Turn every goddam page." Caro is a living national treasure and that's as close to a superhero origin story as you're going to get in journalism. Over and over, he applied that strategy to his later writing, first in the masterful The Power Broker and then in the pursuit of the truth about LBJ among the boxes and boxes and boxes of papers at the Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas.

I had decided that among the boxes in which I would at least glance at every piece of paper would be the ones in Johnson's general "House Papers" that contained the files from his first years in Congress, since I wanted to be able to paint a picture of what he had been like as a young legislator. And as I was doing this -- reading or at least glancing at every letter and memo, turning every page -- I began to get a feeling: something in those early years had changed.

For some time after Johnson's arrival in Congress, in May, 1937, his letters to committee chairmen and other senior congressmen had been in a tone befitting a new congressman with no power -- the tone of a junior beseeching a favor from a senior, or asking, perhaps, for a few minutes of his time. But there were also letters and memos in the same boxes from senior congressmen in which they were doing the beseeching, asking for a few minutes of his time. What was the reason for the change? Was there a particular time at which it had occurred?

Caro's recounting of this tedious research is somehow thrilling, like a slow motion All the President's Men, Spotlight, or The Post. Set aside some time to read the whole thing...it will be time well spent. I can't wait for Caro's Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing to come out in April.

[waterdamageroofingofaustin]

The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum: A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of President Lyndon B. Johnson

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum is a research center and museum dedicated to the life and legacy of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson.  Located on the University of Texas in Austin campus, the LBJ Library and Museum are home to over 45 million pages of documents related […] Originally published here: https://austinroofingandwaterdamage.com/lbj-presidential-library-tribute-austin-tx/