Synopsis

Lyndon B. Johnson’s ascent to prominence began in 1938 with his election to Congress, a victory that marked him as one of the youngest members ever elected. He was subsequently elected to the Senate in 1948, a hard-fought contest won by a mere 87 votes and shadowed by allegations of impropriety. In 1954, as the Democratic Party gained control of the Senate, Johnson became the youngest majority leader in the body’s history at the age of forty-six. He orchestrated the passage of the first civil r