Lyndon B. Johnson

==Entry into politics==

After [[Richard M. Kleberg]] won a 1931 special election to represent Texas in the [[United States House of Representatives]], he appointed Johnson as his legislative secretary. This marked Johnson's formal introduction to politics. Johnson secured the position on the recommendation of his father and that of state senator Welly Hopkins, for whom Johnson had campaigned in 1930.<ref>{{harvnb|Woods|2006|pp=69, 73–75}}</ref> Kleberg had little interest in the day-to-day duties of a Congressman, instead delegating them to Johnson.<ref>{{harvnb|Woods|2006|pp=76–80}}</ref> After [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] won the [[1932 U.S. presidential election]], Johnson became a lifelong supporter of Roosevelt's [[New Deal]].<ref>{{harvnb|Woods|2006|pp=87–88}}</ref> Johnson was elected speaker of the "Little Congress", a group of Congressional aides, where he cultivated Congressmen, newspapermen, and lobbyists. Johnson's friends soon included aides to President Roosevelt as well as fellow Texans such as vice president [[John Nance Garner]] and congressman [[Sam Rayburn]].<ref>{{harvnb|Woods|2006|pp=89–90}}</ref>

On November 17, 1934, Johnson married [[Lady Bird Johnson|Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor]] from [[Karnack, Texas]]. The two first met after he attended but did not graduate from [[Georgetown University Law Center]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] for several months.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tzatzev |first=Aleksi |title=Six Law School Dropouts Who Went On To Become President |website=[[Business Insider]] |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/six-presidents-who-dropped-out-of-law-school-2012-9 |date=September 8, 2012 |access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> During their first date, Johnson asked her to marry him; many dates later, she finally agreed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Caro |first=Robert A. |title=The years of Lyndon Johnson |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |location=New York |date=1982–2012 |isbn=978-0-679-40507-8 |oclc=8590268}}</ref> The wedding was officiated by [[Arthur R. McKinstry]] at [[St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas)|St. Mark's Episcopal Church]] in [[San Antonio]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/29/obituaries/a-r-mckinstry-97-ex-episcopal-bishop.html |title=A. R. McKinstry, 97 – Ex-Episcopal Bishop |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 29, 1991 |access-date=July 25, 2017}}</ref> They had two daughters: [[Lynda Bird Johnson|Lynda Bird]] in 1944 and [[Luci Baines Johnson|Luci Baines]] in 1947. Johnson gave his children names with the LBJ initials; his dog was named Little Beagle Johnson, and his home was the [[LBJ Ranch]]. His initials were on his cufflinks, ashtrays, and clothes.<ref name="Inc1956">{{cite magazine |last=Steele |first=John |title=A Kingmaker or a Dark Horse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA121 |date=June 25, 1956 |magazine=Life |pages=111–124 |access-date=June 23, 2015}}</ref> During his marriage, Johnson had [[Infidelity|affairs]] with "numerous"<ref name="caro 2019" /> women, including Alice Marsh, who assisted him politically.<ref name="caro 2019">{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/the-secrets-of-lyndon-johnsons-archives |title=The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson's Archives |first=Robert A. |last=Caro |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=January 28, 2019 |access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>

In 1935, Johnson was appointed head of the Texas [[National Youth Administration]], which enabled him to create government-funded education and job opportunities for young people. He resigned two years later to run for Congress. A notoriously tough boss, Johnson often demanded long workdays and work on weekends.<ref>{{harvnb|Woods|2006|p=131}}</ref> He was described by friends, fellow politicians, and historians as motivated by lust for power and control. As Caro observes, "Johnson's ambition was uncommon{{snd}}in the degree to which it was unencumbered by even the slightest excess weight of ideology, of philosophy, of principles, of beliefs."<ref>{{harvnb|Caro|1982|p=275}}</ref>