Lady Bird Johnson.

Born Claudia Alta Taylor on December 22, 1912, in Karnack, Texas, a nurse nicknamed her Lady Bird at age two, saying she was as pretty as a ladybird. Her father Thomas Jefferson Taylor was a businessman, and her mother Mary Minnie Lee Pattillo died when she was young. She graduated from Marshall High School and earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin in 1933, also studying at the University of Alabama and the Moody College of Communication.

Lady Bird Johnson was instrumental in her husband Lyndon B. Johnson’s political ascent, charming Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, who became LBJ’s mentor. As First Lady from November 22, 1963, to January 20, 1969, she launched the Keep America Beautiful campaign, a major force in environmentalism. She made public appearances on programs including American Experience 1988 and The Dick Cavett Show 1968. Her published diary A White House Diary offers insight into her tenure.

She married Lyndon B. Johnson on November 17, 1934, and they remained together until his death in 1973. The couple had two daughters: Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson. She was a good friend of Nellie Connally and a devoted fan of the TV series Gunsmoke, though she felt personally betrayed upon learning star James Arness was a Republican. In 2002, she suffered and recovered from a mild stroke. She had seven grandchildren, including Patrick Lyndon Nugent and Lucinda Desha Robb.

Lady Bird Johnson’s environmental advocacy through the Keep America Beautiful campaign left a lasting impact on American ecological consciousness. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Rachel Carson Award. In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service issued a forever stamp featuring her image. She lived into her 90s, one of only two First Ladies to do so alongside Bess Truman. She transformed the role of First Lady into a platform for environmental stewardship.