Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson, a legendary Senate operator, became president on Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and used his mastery of Congress to pass a historic wave of legislation.

He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, dismantling legal segregation, and built his 'Great Society' with Medicare, Medicaid and anti-poverty programs. But his escalation of the Vietnam War divided the country and drained his support. Facing fierce opposition, he stunned the nation in 1968 by declining to seek re-election.

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