Sam Houston Johnson

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Sam Houston Johnson.jpg

Samuel Houston Johnson III (born January 31, 1914 in Johnson City , Texas , † December 11, 1978 in Austin , Texas) was an American businessman. He was the younger brother of President Lyndon B. Johnson .

Early years

Sam Houston Johnson was born to Sam Ealy Johnson and Rebekah Baines. Like his brother Lyndon, he attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College and the University of Texas at Austin . In 1934 he graduated from the Cumberland School of Law .

Early career

For most of his life, Sam Houston Johnson was an advisor to his older brother Lyndon B. Johnson. He was part of his brother's support network and was involved in political activities in Texas.

When his brother was named director of the Texas National Youth Administration in 1934, Sam Houston Johnson replaced him as chief advisor to Congressman Richard M. Kleberg .

He later also worked for the National Youth Administration in Texas. He also worked as an appraiser for the Federal Land Bank in Houston , reporting to his brother on these activities.

During World War II , Sam Johnson served on the War Production Board . At the same time, he was hired by his brother's Senate office, working on Lyndon's election campaign.

In addition to working with and for his brother, Sam Houston Johnson also worked as an insurance manager and Mexican representative for a Texan international freight forwarding company.

Late career

Sam Houston Johnson was an alcoholic . In his late life, his drinking habits and physical disabilities resulting from a broken hip limited him, limiting his usefulness as a member of his brother's organization.

In 1970 he wrote his memoirs My Brother Lyndon , which praised his brother in many ways, but were also critical in others. It was at this time that the brothers became estranged, with Johnson claiming the book was not the cause. The two reconciled before Lyndon's death.

Sam Houston Johnson quit drinking in 1972 and returned to regular services in Austin's non-denominational parish church.

Historian Robert A. Caro interviewed Johnson as one of his many sources while researching the book The Years of Lyndon Johnson . According to Caro, he first believed Johnson was not a safe source because of his alcoholic past. After a while Caro became convinced that Johnson was credible because of his new found religion and his sobriety.

Marriage and family

In 1940 Sam Houston married Johnson Albertine Summers. The two were divorced in 1944. Her children were her daughter Josefa Roxane (Roxanne) (* 1941) and her son Samuel Summers (Sam) (* 1942). He married again in 1955, Mary Jane Michelson Fish. This marriage was also later divorced.

Death and burial

In 1976 he was diagnosed with cancer and a noxious tumor removed from his lungs. His lung cancer returned and Johnson died in Holy Cross Hospital in Austin on December 11, 1978. He was buried in the Johnson family grave in Stonewall, Texas .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Clarke Newlon: LBJ The Man from Johnson City. 1970, p. 225.
  2. ^ Rebekah Baines Johnson: A Family Album. 1965, p. 125.
  3. ^ Cumberland University Bulletin. 1935, p. 106.
  4. ^ The New York Times Biographical Service. Issue 9, 1978, p. 1197.
  5. ↑ David Pietrusza: 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon; The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies . Sterling Publishing, New York, NY 2008, ISBN 978-1-4027-6114-0 , p. 423.
  6. ^ Robert A. Caro: The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power. 2011, p. 289.
  7. ^ A b New York Times Biographical Service
  8. ↑ Sam Houston Johnson Highly Valuable To His Senator Brother. Corsicana Daily Sun. April 2, 1959.
  9. ↑ Sam Houston Johnson: My Brother Lyndon. 1970, p. 96.
  10. ^ Hearing Record. Federal Pay Legislation, US Senate Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, 1967, p. 366.
  11. ↑ Larry L. David: Bringing Up Lyndon. Texas Monthly, Jan 1976, p. 80.
  12. ↑ Sam Houston Johnson: My Brother Lyndon , 1970, front cover.
  13. ^ Obituary: Sam Houston Johnson, Brother of LBJ. St. Petersburg Times, December 12, 1978.
  14. ^ Associated Press, 200 Pay Tribute at LBJ Brother's Rites. Victoria Advocate. December 14, 1978.
  15. ^ Robert A. Caro: Robert A. Caro on the Art of Biography. Random House. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  16. ^ Rebekah Baines Johnson: A Family Album.
  17. ^ Associated Press, LBJ's Brother Has Surgery. Aiken standard. December 9, 1976.
  18. ^ Associated Press, Sam Johnson is Dead at Age 64 , Spartanburg Herald-Journal. December 12, 1978.
  19. ↑
personal data
SURNAME Johnson, Sam Houston
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johnson, Sam Houston III
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American businessman
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Johnson City , Texas
DATE OF DEATH December 11, 1978
Place of death Austin , Texas