LBJ painting by Peter Hurd, 1967. Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973) was the 36th President of the US (1963-69). He served in all four elected federal offices: Representative, Senator, Vice President, and President. In 1960, Johnson was asked by JFK to be his running mate for the presidential election. He became president following the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963. He completed Kennedy's term and was elected President in his own right, winning by a large margin in the 1964 election. He was responsible for designing the "Great Society" legislation that included laws that upheld civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, aid to education, and his "War on Poverty." He escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War that stimulated a large angry antiwar movement. Summer riots broke out in most major cities after 1965, and crime rates soared. He did poorly in the 1968 New Hampshire primary and ended his bid for reelection. Historians agree that his presidency marked the peak of modern liberalism in the US and he is ranked favorably because of his domestic policies. He died in 1973, at the age of 64 ,after suffering a massive heart attack the day before a ceasefire was signed in Vietnam.