[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 122, 110th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
[NOTE: May 20, 2008 -  [H.Con.Res.354]   LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON--100TH
BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION

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;


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122 STAT. 5140


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;


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122 STAT. 5141


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.

Agreed to May 20, 2008