Lydon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States of America, took office in 1963 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He was handed the Vietnam War, which he failed to get out of and didn’t run for a second term. Instead he retired on his Texas ranch. Here are some more interesting facts about this Texan politician.

Fact 1: He served in the US House of representatives and the US Senate.

Fact 2: A champion of the poor, he introduced Medicare and Head Start. This campaign is known as the ‘œGreat Society’.

Fact 3: His dogs were named Him, Her, Freckles, Blanco, Edgar and Yuki while his wife went by the name Ladybird (although her real name was Claudia).

Fact 4: He was a Lutienent Commander in the United States Navy during WWII and received the silver star for ‘œgallantry in action’.

Fact 5: He was a bit of a daredevil. One of his favorite pastimes was taking visitors on a 90 mile per hour ride around his Texas ranch in his Lincoln Continental.

Fact 6: He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made racial discrimination in hotels, motels, and restaurants illegal and forbade many forms of job discrimination.

Fact 7: He was the first President sworn in by a woman.

Fact 8: Although he struggled in school, he grew up to become a successful politician and the President of the United States. He used his powers of persuasion and his presence to succeed.

Fact 9: He started PBS so we are grateful to him for Sesame Street.

Fact 10: He died of a heart attack on January 22, 1973 on a plane en route to the hospital. He was 64 years old when he died.