Johnson, Lyndon Baines (1908-1973), like three other vice presidents in United States history, became chief executive upon the assassination of the president. He became president on Nov. 22, 1963, following the fatal shooting of President John F. Kennedy in a street in Dallas. A stunned nation rallied behind the energetic and ambitious new president, a product of the Texas Hill Country.
In 1964, Johnson, a Democrat, was elected to a full term as president. He and Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota defeated the Republican ticket of Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona and Representative William E. Miller of New York. They received more than 61 percent of the votes cast
