LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Lyndon B. Johnson: Lyndon Johnson
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In 1948, Johnson again ran for the Senate, this time winning the primary with a final victory by a margin of 87 votes, out of nearly 900,000 cast, giving him the nickname “Landslide Lyndon”. He won easily over his Republican opponent, Jack Porter, in the election and returned to Washington and immediately became a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He advanced rapidly in the Senate, in 1951 becoming party whip, providing leadership for his party and developing his peace-making powers. In 1953, he was elected Minority Leader of the Senate and in 1955, the Majority Leader. During his tenure as Senate Majority Leader, Johnson served as Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, Democratic Steering Committee, and Democratic Conference of the Senate. On July 2, 1955 Johnson suffered a severe heart attack and entered Bethesda Naval Hospital.
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President Roosevelt found Johnson to be a welcome ally and conduit for information, particularly with regards to issues concerning internal politics in Texas (Operation Texas) and the machinations of Vice President Garner and House Speaker Sam Rayburn. Johnson was immediately appointed to the Naval Affairs Committee. He worked for rural electrification and other improvements for his district. Johnson steered the projects towards contractors which he personally knew, such as the Brown Brothers, Herman and George, who would finance much of Johnson's future career.[3] In 1941, he ran for the U.S. Senate in a special election against the sitting governor, radio personality W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel. Johnson was not expected to win against the popular governor, but he ran a strong race and was declared the winner in unofficial returns. He ultimately was defeated by controversial official returns in an election marked by massive fraud on the part of both campaigns.
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Johnson interrupted his tenure in the House shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor to serve as a lieutenant commander, having been commissioned in the Naval Reserve in 1940. He was the first member of Congress to go on active duty in World War II. General Douglas MacArthur awarded him the Silver Star for "gallantry in action" when the patrol bomber Johnson was flying in was fired upon by Japanese Zeros near Port Moresby, in New Guinea. (Critics would later say that Johnson's political prominence rather than personal valor had won him the decoration. For the rest of his life... Johnson proudly wore the insignia of the medal in his lapel.) Almost immediately after receiving the award, Johnson responded to Roosevelt's directive that members of Congress leave military service and resume their legislative duties. After six months in uniform, Johnson was pleased to be back at his desk in Washington.
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In the spring of 1941, Senator Morris Sheppard died and Johnson announced his candidacy for the remaining term. Johnson once again ran as an enthusiastic supporter of Roosevelt’s. The election in June was very close, but Johnson lost by 1,311 votes out of nearly 600,000 cast. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Johnson was on of the first congressman to enlist, joining the Navy. He saw action in the Pacific and received the Silver Star for gallantry. He returned to Washington in July 1942 where he headed a special investigating subcommittee of the Naval Affairs Committee.
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In 1948 Johnson finally won election to the Senate. The other senators soon recognized that he was not an ordinary first-term senator. He was knowledgeable about every item that was brought before the Senate. In January 1951 Johnson was named Democratic "whip" (assistant minority leader). In 1953, when the post of minority leader in the Senate opened up, Democratic senators chose Johnson to take charge. After the Democrats won a majority of seats in both houses in the congressional elections of 1954, Johnson became the youngest man ever to serve as majority leader.
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In foreign affairs Johnson concentrated on U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In August 1964, after reports of attacks on U.S. naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin, he asked Congress for a resolution authorizing him to take all necessary measures to protect the armed forces. Soon thereafter Johnson escalated U.S. involvement, first by ordering the bombing of North Vietnam in the winter of 1965, then by ordering U.S. troops into combat in the spring. U.S. troops in Vietnam increased to 100,000 by the fall, and more than half a million by the end of 1966.
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Lyndon Johnson