Lyndon B Johnson

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Lyndon Johnson's presidency began in the aircraft carrying John F Kennedy's body back to Washington after the Dallas assassination. He was to receive enormous acclaim for his "Great Society" reforms, only to have it followed by the deep unpopularity of the Vietnam War.

From a poor Texas farming family, LBJ trained as a teacher, but by his early 20s was working in Washington as secretary to a Texas congressman. A supporter of Franklin D Roosevelt, in 1948 he was elected to the Senate, where he became one of that body's most influential majority leaders.

A possible Democratic presidential contender in 1960, he surprisingly accepted JFK's offer of the vice-presidential nomination.

On succeeding Kennedy in 1963, he ensured that JFK's delayed civil rights legislation was pursued, and initiated a number of reforms designed to end poverty. However, the escalation of the Vietnam War, with the increased involvement of US troops, led to fierce opposition. In 1968 he decided not to stand for re-election.