Remembering Lyndon Baines Johnson

Floor Speech

REMEMBERING LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON -- (Senate - May 21, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I am pleased to come to the floor today to honor one of Texas' most famous leaders, President Lyndon B. Johnson. This year will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, and the LBJ Foundation has chosen this week to honor his service to America in Washington, DC.

Texas has a rich history of men and women--often from humble beginnings--who work to accomplish great things. Lyndon Johnson was no exception. Johnson was born near Stonewall, TX, nearly 100 years ago, to Texas legislator and poor farmer Samuel Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines.

Johnson was a natural public servant. In his early days he studied at then Southwest Texas University's teaching college. One of his first teaching jobs was at a small school in Cotulla Texas for Mexican-American children. His work with those students would forever shape his dedication to those in need.

``[They] had so little and needed so much,'' he once remarked. ``I was determined to spark something inside them, to fill their souls with ambition and interest and belief in the future.'' This eagerness to help others would be a noble and defining characteristic of Lyndon B. Johnson.

While he spent time teaching at several schools across Texas, it was not long before Lyndon Johnson took his first foray into public politics.

Johnson quickly worked his way through the Texas State Legislature and into the U.S. House of Representatives, and eventually into the U.S. Senate.

The seat he took, I should note, is the same seat once held by another very famous Texan, Sam Houston. That same seat now carries a long and honored lineage, and it is my privilege to now serve in this esteemed seat.

Early on, Senator Johnson made a name for himself as a man of action, who would work across the aisle to pass important legislation, and who held an incredible power of persuasion. He quickly became majority whip, and eventually majority leader of the Senate.

I know that one of his greatest accomplishments in the U.S. Senate was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957--a landmark bill to help ensure the right of all people to vote. Of course, Johnson's legacy as a staunch defender of civil rights would not end there.

Of course, Lyndon Johnson's presidency would come in the wake of national tragedy. Despite the conditions under which he took office, President Johnson helped console a nation in mourning, and ensure that America would recover--both physically and emotionally.

President Johnson continued the same fervent defense of Civil Rights in America that he had begun early in his life. He helped enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the famous Voting Rights Act.

At the same time, Johnson worked tirelessly to ensure a better education for all American children, and was a key proponent of NASA and the space race.

Despite the turbulent times under which he served this country, President Johnson did his best to unite our country and promote a freer, more equal society. He will long be remembered for his great advances for the sciences, education, and civil rights--to name just a few accomplishments.

It is my pleasure to stand today and honor President Johnson for his service, not only to Texas, but to our Nation as a whole. In his service to our country he never forgot the many Texas values with which he was raised, and as such he and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, became iconic figures in Texas History.

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