[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 354 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 354


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2008

        Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
     Recognizing the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th 
  President, designer of the Great Society, politician, educator, and 
                         civil rights enforcer.

Whereas August 27, 2008, marks the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was born in Stonewall, Texas, to Samuel Ealy Johnson, 
        Jr., a Texas representative, and Rebekah Baines, on August 27, 1908;
Whereas upon graduation, Lyndon B. Johnson enrolled in Southwest Texas State 
        Teachers' College, where he

              

 vigorously participated in debate, campus politics, and edited the school 
newspaper;

Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson had several teaching positions throughout Texas, 
        including at the Welhausen School in La Salle County, at Pearsall High 
        School, and as a public speaking teacher at Sam Houston High School in 
        Houston;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson went to work as a congressional assistant at the age 
        of 23;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson served the 10th Congressional District in the Texas 
        House of Representatives from April 10, 1937, to January 3, 1949;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson became a commissioned officer in the Navy Reserves in 
        December 1941;
Whereas during World War II, Lyndon B. Johnson was recommended by Undersecretary 
        of the Navy James Forrestal to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who 
        assigned Johnson to a three-man survey team in the southwest Pacific;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was conferred the Silver Star, which is the military's 
        third highest medal, by General Douglas MacArthur;
Whereas in 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson was elected to the Senate at the age of 41;
Whereas in 1951, Lyndon B. Johnson was elected Senate minority leader at the age 
        of 44 and elected Senate majority leader at the age of 46, the youngest 
        in our history;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was elected Vice President at the age of 52, becoming 
        president of the Senate;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson's congressional career and his leadership spanned the 
        stock market crash, the Great Depression, World War II, the nuclear age, 
        the Cold War, the space age, and the civil rights movement, some of the 
        most turbulent years in American history;
Whereas Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was appointed as head of the 
        President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities, through which 
        he worked with African Americans and other minorities;
Whereas an hour and 38 minutes after the assassination of President Kennedy, 
        Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President aboard Air Force One;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was a bold leader;
Whereas as President, Lyndon B. Johnson believed that government could guarantee 
        human rights, could lift people out of poverty, and provide access to 
        quality education and health care throughout the Nation;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was an idealist, a force of nature, and had the energy 
        and determination and leadership to turn those dreams into reality;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was a ``can-do'' President because no matter how 
        difficult and daunting the task at hand, he never rested until it was 
        completed;
Whereas in 1964, the Johnson Administration passed the landmark Civil Rights Act 
        of 1964, which banned de jure segregation in the Nation's schools and 
        public places;
Whereas the Johnson Administration passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which 
        outlawed obstructive provisions that were rendered impractical and 
        impartial to potential voters;
Whereas in January of 1965, the Johnson Administration introduced the Great 
        Society, which included provisions for aid to education, Medicare, urban 
        renewal, beautification, conservation, the development of depressed 
        regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, and the removal of 
        obstacles to the right to vote;
Whereas in 1967, President Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall as the first 
        African-American to serve on the Supreme Court;
Whereas during Johnson's presidency, the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration made spectacular steps forward in space exploration when 
        3 astronauts successfully orbited the moon in December 1968;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson died at 4:33 p.m. on January 22, 1973, at his ranch in 
        Johnson City, Texas, at the age of 64;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom in 1980;
Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson is honored, venerated, and revered for his drive to 
        establish equality for all Americans, illustrated in the momentous 
        legislation passed during his Administration;
Whereas Congress recognizes the 100th birthday of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th 
        president;
Whereas Congress extols the contributions of Lyndon B. Johnson to the United 
        States and his commitment to the War on Poverty through the Economic 
        Opportunity Act;
Whereas Congress commends Lyndon B. Johnson for establishing the Medicare Act of 
        1965 that has helped millions of Americans; and
Whereas Congress requests that the President issue a proclamation calling upon 
        the American people to observe the Centennial Celebration of Lyndon B. 
        Johnson and his ``can-do spirit'' with appropriate ceremonies, programs, 
        and activities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) reaffirms its support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
        and the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
            (2) recognizes the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 
        1965; and
            (3) honors Lyndon B. Johnson for his work as a civil rights 
        enforcer.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 19, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.