What do you think?
Rate this book
Lyndon Johnson and his Times #1
Lone Star Rising: Vol. 1: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908-1960
Like other great figures of 20th-century American politics, Lyndon Johnson defies easy understanding. An unrivaled master of vote swapping, back room deals, and election-day skulduggery, he was nevertheless an outspoken New Dealer with a genuine commitment to the poor and the underprivileged. With aides and colleagues he could be overbearing, crude, and vindictive, but at other times shy, sophisticated, and magnanimous. Perhaps columnist Russell Baker said it best: Johnson "was a character out of a Russian novel...a storm of warring human instincts: sinner and saint, buffoon and statesman, cynic and sentimentalist."
But Johnson was also a representative figure. His career speaks volumes about American politics, foreign policy, and business in the forty years after 1930. As Charles de Gaulle said when he came to JFK's funeral: Kennedy was America's mask, but this man Johnson is the country's real face.
In Lone Star Rising , Robert Dallek, winner of the prestigious Bancroft Prize for his study of Franklin D. Roosevelt, now turns to this fascinating "sinner and saint" to offer a brilliant, definitive portrait of a great American politician. Based on seven years of research in over 450 manuscript collections and oral histories, as well as numerous personal interviews, this first book in a two-volume biography follows Johnson's life from his childhood on the banks of the Pedernales to his election as vice-president under Kennedy. We see Johnson, the twenty-three-year-old aide to a pampered millionaire Representative, become a de facto Congressman, and at age twenty-eight the country's best state director of the National Youth Administration. We see Johnson, the "human dynamo," first in the House and then in the Senate, whirl his way through sixteen- and eighteen-hour days, talking, urging, demanding, reaching for influence and power, in an uncommonly successful congressional career.
Dallek pays full due to Johnson's failings--his obsession with being top dog, his willingness to cut corners, and worse, to get there-- but he also illuminates Johnson's sheer brilliance as a politician, the high regard in which key members of the New Deal, including FDR, held him, and his genuine concern for minorities and the downtrodden.
No president in American history is currently less admired than Lyndon Johnson. Bitter memories of Vietnam have sent Johnson's reputation into free fall, and recent biographies have painted him as a scoundrel who did more harm than good. Lone Star Rising attempts to strike a balance. It does not neglect the tawdry side of Johnson's political career, including much that is revealed for the first time. But it also reminds us that Lyndon Johnson was a man of exceptional vision, who from early in his career worked to bring the South into the mainstream of American economic and political life, to give the disadvantaged a decent chance, and to end racial segregation for the well-being of the nation.
But Johnson was also a representative figure. His career speaks volumes about American politics, foreign policy, and business in the forty years after 1930. As Charles de Gaulle said when he came to JFK's funeral: Kennedy was America's mask, but this man Johnson is the country's real face.
In Lone Star Rising , Robert Dallek, winner of the prestigious Bancroft Prize for his study of Franklin D. Roosevelt, now turns to this fascinating "sinner and saint" to offer a brilliant, definitive portrait of a great American politician. Based on seven years of research in over 450 manuscript collections and oral histories, as well as numerous personal interviews, this first book in a two-volume biography follows Johnson's life from his childhood on the banks of the Pedernales to his election as vice-president under Kennedy. We see Johnson, the twenty-three-year-old aide to a pampered millionaire Representative, become a de facto Congressman, and at age twenty-eight the country's best state director of the National Youth Administration. We see Johnson, the "human dynamo," first in the House and then in the Senate, whirl his way through sixteen- and eighteen-hour days, talking, urging, demanding, reaching for influence and power, in an uncommonly successful congressional career.
Dallek pays full due to Johnson's failings--his obsession with being top dog, his willingness to cut corners, and worse, to get there-- but he also illuminates Johnson's sheer brilliance as a politician, the high regard in which key members of the New Deal, including FDR, held him, and his genuine concern for minorities and the downtrodden.
No president in American history is currently less admired than Lyndon Johnson. Bitter memories of Vietnam have sent Johnson's reputation into free fall, and recent biographies have painted him as a scoundrel who did more harm than good. Lone Star Rising attempts to strike a balance. It does not neglect the tawdry side of Johnson's political career, including much that is revealed for the first time. But it also reminds us that Lyndon Johnson was a man of exceptional vision, who from early in his career worked to bring the South into the mainstream of American economic and political life, to give the disadvantaged a decent chance, and to end racial segregation for the well-being of the nation.
754 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1991
29 people are currently reading
596 people want to read
About the author
Robert Dallek
55 books171 followersRobert A. Dallek is an American historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.
In 2004 he retired as a history professor at Boston University after previously having taught at Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Oxford University.
He won the Bancroft Prize for his 1979 book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945, as well as other awards for scholarship and teaching.
In 2004 he retired as a history professor at Boston University after previously having taught at Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Oxford University.
He won the Bancroft Prize for his 1979 book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945, as well as other awards for scholarship and teaching.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 26, 2023
This is the first volume of a two-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson. It examines LBJ’s life from childhood until the 1960 election when he became John Kennedy’s Vice -President.
It is the story of a political man. Lyndon started his life in politics as the secretary to Congressman Richard Kleberg. Kleberg had little interest in the duties as a congressman and delegated them to Johnson. After serving as the head of the Texas National Youth Administration he won a Congressional seat for himself in 1937. In 1948 he won the Senate seat from Texas after a controversial runoff election which will give nightmares to anyone worried about the integrity of our elections. For Lyndon Baines Johnson politics was a vocation that allowed a flawed man to “rise from the obscurity of the Texas Hill Country to the second highest office in the land and along the way do extraordinary things.” (Page 591) He was the ultimate politico.
In the early parts of this book LBJ is presented as a very paradoxical character. He is described as having a “larger-than-life” personality. He could be a difficult, overbearing person. He liked to be the center of attention, would browbeat anyone who disagreed with him until he convinced them of his view. These and other traits would follow him throughout his career. Some of the traits described can only be thought of as crude.
On the other hand, his power and influence had positive effects on the state of Texas, the South, and the entire country. His work with the National Youth Administration under Franklin Roosevelt resulted in the education and training for young people. LBJ wanted to expand FDR’s New Deal to make Texas and the South more prosperous. In the South, where before 1941 southern states were mainly concerned with maintaining white supremacy and social stability, he sought to transform the region by encouraging industrial, economic and business development.
Any history of this period should include a section on McCarthyism. LBJ viewed McCarthy as “a Republican party problem.” (Page 442) He also set his party’s position as not a criticism of McCarthy’s anti-Communist aims, but of his methods and inappropriate Senate behavior. This allowed the Senate to bring a bipartisan, majority rule of censure of McCarthy.
Johnson also deserves credit for the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights bill, which with all its limitations was a major step in that it broke an eighty-year pattern of “talking the issue to death.” It was an opening for equality and opportunity for Black Americans that had been denied since emancipation. Any dreams of a presidential run required Johnson to address civil rights. It became apparent that some change was inevitable. When the House passed a Civil Rights bill the focus would be on the Senate. If he could lead the bill through the Senate it would transform him from a southern or regional leader into a national spokesman.
There are several examples of foreign policy that showed the seeds of actions that would lead to an American War in Vietnam. In addition to supporting Eisenhower’s use of the CIA to replace the president of Guatemala, during a crisis in the Middle East the administration wanted a resolution as part of an Eisenhower Doctrine that would allow them to use economic assistance and possible military force to fill a vacuum before the Soviets did. Johnson worked to provide a congressional consensus. The Resolution “provided a congressional endorsement of presidential authority in foreign affairs that Johnson later saw as a precedent for asking congressional backing to deal with a Communist threat to South Vietnam.” (Page 513)
Given his seventeen years of experience in Washington and politics his knowledge of congressional operations made him extremely prepared and he used this expertise to become a very successful United States Senator becoming the Majority Leader in 1956. He viewed his effectiveness as a Majority Leader as an avenue to a nomination as a presidential candidate.
Many people, among them John Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson, thought Johnson was the most qualified person for the presidency, but was hindered as a Southerner. He denied any interest in running for president because he feared starting a stop-Johnson movement. Few people were fooled by his denials.
When Kennedy won the nomination Johnson saw the Vice-Presidency as a means of leading the South back into the national consensus. The South had been diverting its energy into a defense of the past instead of building the region into a political and economic force. It is also pointed out that Johnson’s control of the Senate as Majority Leader was in jeopardy. If Kennedy won he would just be a tool to implement Kennedy’s programs in the Senate, and if Nixon won Johnson would face an assertive Republican administration along with a hostile liberal wing of his own party.
During the 1960 election Johnson made an important contribution to Kennedy’s victory. Johnson campaigned in the South emphasizing all that the Democrats had done for the region without publicly using racists appeals to while voters.
This biography is full of examples of his difficult, abrasive personality. He had to be the best no matter the stakes. He had to be the winner. He used this to gain power that led to many benefits to people in Texas, the South and in the entire United States. He helped improve public structures and schools. He helped bring electricity to rural areas. He helped build airports, hospitals, post offices, low-cost public housing, expanded Social Security benefits, and many other improvements which showed the origins of his future war on poverty and Great Society programs.
As my reading now moves on to the 1960s, this book provides an excellent background and introduction to that period.
It is the story of a political man. Lyndon started his life in politics as the secretary to Congressman Richard Kleberg. Kleberg had little interest in the duties as a congressman and delegated them to Johnson. After serving as the head of the Texas National Youth Administration he won a Congressional seat for himself in 1937. In 1948 he won the Senate seat from Texas after a controversial runoff election which will give nightmares to anyone worried about the integrity of our elections. For Lyndon Baines Johnson politics was a vocation that allowed a flawed man to “rise from the obscurity of the Texas Hill Country to the second highest office in the land and along the way do extraordinary things.” (Page 591) He was the ultimate politico.
In the early parts of this book LBJ is presented as a very paradoxical character. He is described as having a “larger-than-life” personality. He could be a difficult, overbearing person. He liked to be the center of attention, would browbeat anyone who disagreed with him until he convinced them of his view. These and other traits would follow him throughout his career. Some of the traits described can only be thought of as crude.
On the other hand, his power and influence had positive effects on the state of Texas, the South, and the entire country. His work with the National Youth Administration under Franklin Roosevelt resulted in the education and training for young people. LBJ wanted to expand FDR’s New Deal to make Texas and the South more prosperous. In the South, where before 1941 southern states were mainly concerned with maintaining white supremacy and social stability, he sought to transform the region by encouraging industrial, economic and business development.
Any history of this period should include a section on McCarthyism. LBJ viewed McCarthy as “a Republican party problem.” (Page 442) He also set his party’s position as not a criticism of McCarthy’s anti-Communist aims, but of his methods and inappropriate Senate behavior. This allowed the Senate to bring a bipartisan, majority rule of censure of McCarthy.
Johnson also deserves credit for the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights bill, which with all its limitations was a major step in that it broke an eighty-year pattern of “talking the issue to death.” It was an opening for equality and opportunity for Black Americans that had been denied since emancipation. Any dreams of a presidential run required Johnson to address civil rights. It became apparent that some change was inevitable. When the House passed a Civil Rights bill the focus would be on the Senate. If he could lead the bill through the Senate it would transform him from a southern or regional leader into a national spokesman.
There are several examples of foreign policy that showed the seeds of actions that would lead to an American War in Vietnam. In addition to supporting Eisenhower’s use of the CIA to replace the president of Guatemala, during a crisis in the Middle East the administration wanted a resolution as part of an Eisenhower Doctrine that would allow them to use economic assistance and possible military force to fill a vacuum before the Soviets did. Johnson worked to provide a congressional consensus. The Resolution “provided a congressional endorsement of presidential authority in foreign affairs that Johnson later saw as a precedent for asking congressional backing to deal with a Communist threat to South Vietnam.” (Page 513)
Given his seventeen years of experience in Washington and politics his knowledge of congressional operations made him extremely prepared and he used this expertise to become a very successful United States Senator becoming the Majority Leader in 1956. He viewed his effectiveness as a Majority Leader as an avenue to a nomination as a presidential candidate.
Many people, among them John Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson, thought Johnson was the most qualified person for the presidency, but was hindered as a Southerner. He denied any interest in running for president because he feared starting a stop-Johnson movement. Few people were fooled by his denials.
When Kennedy won the nomination Johnson saw the Vice-Presidency as a means of leading the South back into the national consensus. The South had been diverting its energy into a defense of the past instead of building the region into a political and economic force. It is also pointed out that Johnson’s control of the Senate as Majority Leader was in jeopardy. If Kennedy won he would just be a tool to implement Kennedy’s programs in the Senate, and if Nixon won Johnson would face an assertive Republican administration along with a hostile liberal wing of his own party.
During the 1960 election Johnson made an important contribution to Kennedy’s victory. Johnson campaigned in the South emphasizing all that the Democrats had done for the region without publicly using racists appeals to while voters.
This biography is full of examples of his difficult, abrasive personality. He had to be the best no matter the stakes. He had to be the winner. He used this to gain power that led to many benefits to people in Texas, the South and in the entire United States. He helped improve public structures and schools. He helped bring electricity to rural areas. He helped build airports, hospitals, post offices, low-cost public housing, expanded Social Security benefits, and many other improvements which showed the origins of his future war on poverty and Great Society programs.
As my reading now moves on to the 1960s, this book provides an excellent background and introduction to that period.
December 21, 2019
In Lone Star Rising, Robert Dallek offers a brilliant, comprehensive story of Lyndon Johnson’s rise from obscurity to what became the most powerful job in Washington: Senate Majority Leader. This is everything I’ve wanted from all of the presidential biographies I’ve read previously, and in a more manageable size than Robert Caro’s ongoing saga of LBJ.
Dallek’s descriptions of the characters surrounding Johnson are not colorful but they are adequate, and his dissection of Johnson’s actions and possible motives are complete. Lady Bird Johnson plays a part throughout the book, unlike Jackie Kennedy in Dallek’s bio of JFK in which she is barely mentioned. But that likely reflects the true team the Johnsons became, while Jackie in many ways was but a shadow in Kennedy’s life, even as crowds came to see her.
For me, the best part of this book was finding out—or not exactly finding out—how the power-driven Johnson, who had to be the best at everything, came to be number two to the “boy,” the “whippersnapper” a decade younger than him and with not a fifth of the legislative or life experience he had, in Kennedy. The preceding story served as a literary Taj Mahal, setting the stage for Johnson’s return to obscurity, the job that Dallek thankfully referenced in John Adams’s words was: “The most insignificant office that ever the invention of Man contrived…”
Dallek’s descriptions of the characters surrounding Johnson are not colorful but they are adequate, and his dissection of Johnson’s actions and possible motives are complete. Lady Bird Johnson plays a part throughout the book, unlike Jackie Kennedy in Dallek’s bio of JFK in which she is barely mentioned. But that likely reflects the true team the Johnsons became, while Jackie in many ways was but a shadow in Kennedy’s life, even as crowds came to see her.
For me, the best part of this book was finding out—or not exactly finding out—how the power-driven Johnson, who had to be the best at everything, came to be number two to the “boy,” the “whippersnapper” a decade younger than him and with not a fifth of the legislative or life experience he had, in Kennedy. The preceding story served as a literary Taj Mahal, setting the stage for Johnson’s return to obscurity, the job that Dallek thankfully referenced in John Adams’s words was: “The most insignificant office that ever the invention of Man contrived…”
September 14, 2017
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2017...
Published in 1991, “Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1908-1960” is the first volume in a two-volume series on LBJ written by Robert Dallek. Dallek is a retired professor of history and the author of nearly two dozen books including a bestselling biography of JFK (which I recently read and liked) and a more recent dual-biography of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.
Covering LBJ’s life through his election as VP, this book often feels like a deliberate counterweight to Johnson’s previous biographers (notably Robert Caro and Ronnie Dugger). In Dallek’s view, earlier books portrayed Johnson in an unfairly harsh light and failed to acknowledge that his unsavory methods for accumulating and using power often led to significant legislative progress for the poor and disenfranchised.
Dallek also believes that the enormous contributions Johnson made during his political career are largely unrecognized by the public-at-large. But while his book begins by rushing to LBJ’s defense in an almost distracting manner, it soon adopts a more objective approach of discussing Johnson’s glaring flaws…but only alongside his best traits and accomplishments.
The ruthlessly balanced portrait of LBJ which emerges is intriguing (and perhaps entirely appropriate) but feels forced and artificial. Every character flaw must be balanced by some positive effect. Each bribe, every campaign finance law violated, every fraudulent ballot cast on behalf of LBJ is offset in a way that suggests the author believes the end always justifies the means.
The book’s 591 pages proceed chronologically and quickly betray the fact that Dallek is a more skillful historian than author. He is facile with details but not with storytelling; the discussion is consistently thoughtful and substantive…but is rarely colorful or engaging. Despite LBJ’s absurdly interesting personality, Dallek conveys far less of the drama, excitement and flavor of the man and his times than is deserved.
And while it is not clear that LBJ actually possessed a personal life, whatever life he did lead outside politics managed to elude Dallek’s grasp. The reader can be forgiven for thinking LBJ must have slept in his office his entire political career and never saw his family. Lady Bird appears sporadically – and only cursorily – and Johnson’s daughters are mentioned…at least once.
For all its faults, though, “Lone Star Rising” is excellent in many respects. In spite of the author’s almost pathological desire to identify every redeeming aspect of LBJ’s character, ample evidence is offered on both sides of each issue to allow the reader to form an independent conclusion about Johnson’s behavior. And if his private life remains elusive, his political career is examined in piercing and revealing detail.
Early pages describing LBJ’s time as a new Senate Minority Leader are a fascinating study in aggregating and wielding power, and the discussion of Johnson’s early months as Majority Leader proves even more compelling. Dallek’s behind-the-scenes account of the 1960 presidential nomination process (which JFK, not LBJ, ultimately won) is probably better described than in any of the JFK biographies I’ve read. And the LBJ-for-VP discussion is the best I’ve seen anywhere (caveat: I’ve not yet tackled the Caro series).
Overall, Robert Dallek’s “Lone Star Rising” proves to be a solid political, but not personal, biography of the early LBJ. It offers excellent insight into Johnson’s personality and character as well as a significant (and detailed) focus on his political evolution. Although it will appeal primarily to scholars and lacks both fluidity and verve, it provides just enough pizzazz to entice the patient reader to move on to Volume 2.
Overall rating: 3¾ stars
Published in 1991, “Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times 1908-1960” is the first volume in a two-volume series on LBJ written by Robert Dallek. Dallek is a retired professor of history and the author of nearly two dozen books including a bestselling biography of JFK (which I recently read and liked) and a more recent dual-biography of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.
Covering LBJ’s life through his election as VP, this book often feels like a deliberate counterweight to Johnson’s previous biographers (notably Robert Caro and Ronnie Dugger). In Dallek’s view, earlier books portrayed Johnson in an unfairly harsh light and failed to acknowledge that his unsavory methods for accumulating and using power often led to significant legislative progress for the poor and disenfranchised.
Dallek also believes that the enormous contributions Johnson made during his political career are largely unrecognized by the public-at-large. But while his book begins by rushing to LBJ’s defense in an almost distracting manner, it soon adopts a more objective approach of discussing Johnson’s glaring flaws…but only alongside his best traits and accomplishments.
The ruthlessly balanced portrait of LBJ which emerges is intriguing (and perhaps entirely appropriate) but feels forced and artificial. Every character flaw must be balanced by some positive effect. Each bribe, every campaign finance law violated, every fraudulent ballot cast on behalf of LBJ is offset in a way that suggests the author believes the end always justifies the means.
The book’s 591 pages proceed chronologically and quickly betray the fact that Dallek is a more skillful historian than author. He is facile with details but not with storytelling; the discussion is consistently thoughtful and substantive…but is rarely colorful or engaging. Despite LBJ’s absurdly interesting personality, Dallek conveys far less of the drama, excitement and flavor of the man and his times than is deserved.
And while it is not clear that LBJ actually possessed a personal life, whatever life he did lead outside politics managed to elude Dallek’s grasp. The reader can be forgiven for thinking LBJ must have slept in his office his entire political career and never saw his family. Lady Bird appears sporadically – and only cursorily – and Johnson’s daughters are mentioned…at least once.
For all its faults, though, “Lone Star Rising” is excellent in many respects. In spite of the author’s almost pathological desire to identify every redeeming aspect of LBJ’s character, ample evidence is offered on both sides of each issue to allow the reader to form an independent conclusion about Johnson’s behavior. And if his private life remains elusive, his political career is examined in piercing and revealing detail.
Early pages describing LBJ’s time as a new Senate Minority Leader are a fascinating study in aggregating and wielding power, and the discussion of Johnson’s early months as Majority Leader proves even more compelling. Dallek’s behind-the-scenes account of the 1960 presidential nomination process (which JFK, not LBJ, ultimately won) is probably better described than in any of the JFK biographies I’ve read. And the LBJ-for-VP discussion is the best I’ve seen anywhere (caveat: I’ve not yet tackled the Caro series).
Overall, Robert Dallek’s “Lone Star Rising” proves to be a solid political, but not personal, biography of the early LBJ. It offers excellent insight into Johnson’s personality and character as well as a significant (and detailed) focus on his political evolution. Although it will appeal primarily to scholars and lacks both fluidity and verve, it provides just enough pizzazz to entice the patient reader to move on to Volume 2.
Overall rating: 3¾ stars
December 1, 2015
This is the first volume from Dallek on LBJ, covering his birth up to his election as Vice President in 1960. Dallek is an accomplished biographer, and the book is well-researched. However, I got the sense throughout most of the book that Dallek had an axe to grind with other Johnson biographers, in particular Robert Caro. At the time that this book was published, only Caro's first two volumes of his piece were out, taking LBJ through his stolen 1948 Senate election. Dallek, in his Introduction, stated that Caro seemed bent on focusing on the many negatives of Johnson's often complex personality; he later mentioned that Caro views Johnson first and foremost as a cunning and manipulative opportunist. I agree - Caro does do this, sometimes almost to the detriment of the points that he tries to make about Johnson. I also happen to agree with Caro's rationale for portraying Johnson in that light. The evidence is too overwhelming not to see Johnson - at the best - as a no-holds-barred politician who was eager to help people even though the means that he often employed were less than desirable or ethical (or legal).
Thus, Dallek's attempt at an overcorrection is noticed. While, on the whole, he might provide a more neutral view of Johnson, I think that Caro's characterization is closer to what Johnson in reality was. Dallek does not shy away from the negatives. It is just that, in most cases, he quickly points out the good that Johnson was doing at the same time. Example: Johnson's WWII "service." This really was a joke when all was said and done. Yes, Johnson put himself in harm's way. But needlessly so. He only went to the Pacific theatre so people could not throw it in his face that he did not serve. His time spent in service was miniscule compared to Bush, Ford, Kennedy, and Nixon.
I did find a few a things that I was surprised at Dallek omitting. First, he does not talk at all about when Johnson's dad, Sam, died. Surely this had some effect on Johnson, but you would not know it from reading Dallek. After FDR died and Harry Truman took over, Johnson really had no entrée to the White House. Yet Dallek does not mention this, nor does he discuss Johnson's relationship with Truman. Also, Lady Bird's influence seems rather muted. After her initial appearance, she is not mentioned a great deal. Nor are Johnson's daughters. They are barely talked about. Johnson seemed to be an absent father, but Dallek does not take him to task over this. Overall, Dallek tries to paint a fair portrait of a man who never played fair if he could help it.
Grade: B-
Thus, Dallek's attempt at an overcorrection is noticed. While, on the whole, he might provide a more neutral view of Johnson, I think that Caro's characterization is closer to what Johnson in reality was. Dallek does not shy away from the negatives. It is just that, in most cases, he quickly points out the good that Johnson was doing at the same time. Example: Johnson's WWII "service." This really was a joke when all was said and done. Yes, Johnson put himself in harm's way. But needlessly so. He only went to the Pacific theatre so people could not throw it in his face that he did not serve. His time spent in service was miniscule compared to Bush, Ford, Kennedy, and Nixon.
I did find a few a things that I was surprised at Dallek omitting. First, he does not talk at all about when Johnson's dad, Sam, died. Surely this had some effect on Johnson, but you would not know it from reading Dallek. After FDR died and Harry Truman took over, Johnson really had no entrée to the White House. Yet Dallek does not mention this, nor does he discuss Johnson's relationship with Truman. Also, Lady Bird's influence seems rather muted. After her initial appearance, she is not mentioned a great deal. Nor are Johnson's daughters. They are barely talked about. Johnson seemed to be an absent father, but Dallek does not take him to task over this. Overall, Dallek tries to paint a fair portrait of a man who never played fair if he could help it.
Grade: B-
August 11, 2016
LONE STAR RISING, by Robert Dallek
This is a meticulously detailed book on the life of Lyndon B. Johnson prior to his election as John F. Kennedy's vice president. Author Dallek seems to have uncovered virtually everything of note in Johnson's life and does a masterful job of informing and engaging the reader. Dallek thinks Johnson's most prominent other biographer, Robert Caro, was overtly biased against his subject, but Dallek, who clearly admires Johnson's political genius, is not hesitant about pointing out the Master of the Senate's flaws. It's a long read, but a superb one. Now I'm on to volume two.
This is a meticulously detailed book on the life of Lyndon B. Johnson prior to his election as John F. Kennedy's vice president. Author Dallek seems to have uncovered virtually everything of note in Johnson's life and does a masterful job of informing and engaging the reader. Dallek thinks Johnson's most prominent other biographer, Robert Caro, was overtly biased against his subject, but Dallek, who clearly admires Johnson's political genius, is not hesitant about pointing out the Master of the Senate's flaws. It's a long read, but a superb one. Now I'm on to volume two.
June 21, 2019
This is the first volume of Robert Dallek's two part study of Lyndon Johnson and it takes us from his
birth and childhood in the hill country of West Texas until his election in 1960 as Vice President. One
of the most complex of people to serve in the White House he could be a crude bully and a tyrant to
those around him. He also had a genuine commitment to the poor and made in my opinion the last
real effort to eradicate poverty in the USA. But that's in the second volume.
Born in 1908 Johnson's family were among the first families of Texas, his father Sam Ealy Johnson
served in the State Legislature at one time. But they were also cash poor and Lyndon did not like the
experience. He was not going to be dirt poor if he could help it, he'd make money whatever way he
could. But he also would do his best to see no one else in the future would be also.
He taught elementary school after graduating from a teacher's college in San Marcos, but through
some connections got on the staff of a newly elected Representative Richard Kleberg who was the
heir to the King Ranch in Texas. Kleberg was a playboy and needed a strong head of staff and there
was Johnson who filled the bill. Around that time Johnson also married Claudia Alta Taylor whose
family gave her the pet nickname of Lady Bird which is how she became known to the world.
Johnson discovered politics and he went into it hard. I think only James K. Polk among our presidents pursued it with the 24/7 dedication LBJ did. He used his connections ruthlessly to build
up a fortune and wasn't all that discreet about it. After service for Kleberg, LBJ became head in
Texas of that state's National Youth Administration a New Deal program to train youth for jobs.
An opening came when the incumbent Representative where Johnson lived died and there was a
special election. Johnson ran as an unabashed FDR New Dealer and won. He also latched himself
on to Sam Rayburn as a mentor and later his junior partner running Congress.
Johnson loved the programs of the New Deal and the president who tried to pass them. I was surprised to learn that Johnson also had some admiration for Huey P. Long and what he tried to do
in Louisiana. The Kingfish was dead by the time Johnson was a member of Congress. Would have
been interesting had they served together.
His first defeat came in another special election when he tried for the US Senate in a special election
and lost to Texas's governor and country performer Wilbert Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel. He didn't risk
his House seat though and served through to 1948.
In that year LBJ ran again for the Senate when O'Daniel who hadn't set the world on fire in the
Senate decided not to run. This time Johnson's main opponent was Governor Coke Stevenson and
the primary was nasty. Texas politics was a rough game and LBJ learned to play it rough. There
was probably shenanigans on both sides, but in the end LBJ became known as 'landslide Lyndon' and the margin was 87 votes.
Within two years LBJ was Majority Whip and then in four years the Minority Leader in the 83rd
Congress. For someone that young with that little time it shows you how much respect he was
held in. I think the Democratic Senators were a bit scared of him too. He knew the mind, wants,
and needs of all his colleagues including the Republicans. In the off year elections in 1954 the
Democrats won and LBJ was Majority Leader with his friend Sam Rayburn as Speaker of the House.
Johnson and Rayburn both worked well with Dwight Eisenhower in the White House. Truth be
told Ike wasn't crazy about some of his more conservative colleagues and could deal better with
them. And they recognized Ike was a national hero and not some ordinary partisan Republican.
They got criticized from the left, but on the whole it worked, especially in those years 1955-1959
when the Democrats had close majorities.
I'm not sure anyone else but Johnson could have held things together. The Democrats were being
sharply divided because of the civil rights revolution, the Senators from the old Confederacy were
a lot more conservative. After the off year elections of 1958 the Democrats won big throughout
most of the country. They had top heavy majorities in both Houses as the 1960 presidential election
approached.
Johnson was a candidate, but his colleague John F. Kennedy out organized everyone and won the
nomination. Johnson with some reluctance and qualms took the Vice Presidential spot when
offered.
The story ends with the election of Kennedy/Johnson. Dallek has written biographies of both men
and his Kennedy book is also good. Johnson goes into an eclipse, but fate had something big and
terrible for him in store.
birth and childhood in the hill country of West Texas until his election in 1960 as Vice President. One
of the most complex of people to serve in the White House he could be a crude bully and a tyrant to
those around him. He also had a genuine commitment to the poor and made in my opinion the last
real effort to eradicate poverty in the USA. But that's in the second volume.
Born in 1908 Johnson's family were among the first families of Texas, his father Sam Ealy Johnson
served in the State Legislature at one time. But they were also cash poor and Lyndon did not like the
experience. He was not going to be dirt poor if he could help it, he'd make money whatever way he
could. But he also would do his best to see no one else in the future would be also.
He taught elementary school after graduating from a teacher's college in San Marcos, but through
some connections got on the staff of a newly elected Representative Richard Kleberg who was the
heir to the King Ranch in Texas. Kleberg was a playboy and needed a strong head of staff and there
was Johnson who filled the bill. Around that time Johnson also married Claudia Alta Taylor whose
family gave her the pet nickname of Lady Bird which is how she became known to the world.
Johnson discovered politics and he went into it hard. I think only James K. Polk among our presidents pursued it with the 24/7 dedication LBJ did. He used his connections ruthlessly to build
up a fortune and wasn't all that discreet about it. After service for Kleberg, LBJ became head in
Texas of that state's National Youth Administration a New Deal program to train youth for jobs.
An opening came when the incumbent Representative where Johnson lived died and there was a
special election. Johnson ran as an unabashed FDR New Dealer and won. He also latched himself
on to Sam Rayburn as a mentor and later his junior partner running Congress.
Johnson loved the programs of the New Deal and the president who tried to pass them. I was surprised to learn that Johnson also had some admiration for Huey P. Long and what he tried to do
in Louisiana. The Kingfish was dead by the time Johnson was a member of Congress. Would have
been interesting had they served together.
His first defeat came in another special election when he tried for the US Senate in a special election
and lost to Texas's governor and country performer Wilbert Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel. He didn't risk
his House seat though and served through to 1948.
In that year LBJ ran again for the Senate when O'Daniel who hadn't set the world on fire in the
Senate decided not to run. This time Johnson's main opponent was Governor Coke Stevenson and
the primary was nasty. Texas politics was a rough game and LBJ learned to play it rough. There
was probably shenanigans on both sides, but in the end LBJ became known as 'landslide Lyndon' and the margin was 87 votes.
Within two years LBJ was Majority Whip and then in four years the Minority Leader in the 83rd
Congress. For someone that young with that little time it shows you how much respect he was
held in. I think the Democratic Senators were a bit scared of him too. He knew the mind, wants,
and needs of all his colleagues including the Republicans. In the off year elections in 1954 the
Democrats won and LBJ was Majority Leader with his friend Sam Rayburn as Speaker of the House.
Johnson and Rayburn both worked well with Dwight Eisenhower in the White House. Truth be
told Ike wasn't crazy about some of his more conservative colleagues and could deal better with
them. And they recognized Ike was a national hero and not some ordinary partisan Republican.
They got criticized from the left, but on the whole it worked, especially in those years 1955-1959
when the Democrats had close majorities.
I'm not sure anyone else but Johnson could have held things together. The Democrats were being
sharply divided because of the civil rights revolution, the Senators from the old Confederacy were
a lot more conservative. After the off year elections of 1958 the Democrats won big throughout
most of the country. They had top heavy majorities in both Houses as the 1960 presidential election
approached.
Johnson was a candidate, but his colleague John F. Kennedy out organized everyone and won the
nomination. Johnson with some reluctance and qualms took the Vice Presidential spot when
offered.
The story ends with the election of Kennedy/Johnson. Dallek has written biographies of both men
and his Kennedy book is also good. Johnson goes into an eclipse, but fate had something big and
terrible for him in store.
May 11, 2013
I have certainly read much breezier, more personal, and far juicier biographies of LBJ - Doris Kearns Goodwin's Lyndon Johnson and The American Dream and several biographies from different times in LBJ's life by Robert Cabo come to mind. This book, the first of two volumes by Robert Dallek, is much more a prodigious political biography than anything else. One learns very little about LBJ's life outside of the various political realms he occupied starting in his early twenties on his way to becoming Vice President and then President of the United States in his early 50's: legislative aide, head of the Texas Youth Administration under the New Deal, the youngest member of the House of Representatives the year he was elected (1937), and eventually Minority Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader in the US Senate. He was the consummate politician because he was consumed by his work. While many biographers, Dallek included, point out that he was blessedly free of political ideology, Dallak goes to great lengths to show that he did consistently value two things: the desire to do things to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people, particularly fellow Southerners, and his conviction that the best way he could do that was by going to any length, by all means possible, to see that he continued to occupy political office to work on their behalf.
Everyone who writes about LBJ paints him as a larger than life figure who took up all the space in whatever room he occupied, loomed menacingly over those who opposed him, told the dirtiest jokes and made the bawdiest comments, and almost always won by intimidation. People didn't like him -- but they respected him because he got things done. The uniqueness of Dallek's telling is that the reader can see, sometimes in minute detail, just HOW he managed that, working, as he generally did, non-stop, 16-20 hour days, for weeks and years on end, always keeping his eye out for what would work. Above all he was a pragmatist - he failed to live up to the dogmatic purity of either the Liberal wing of his party or the Dixie-crats of his region because he honed the fine line of the "middle way" --both among various factions of the Democratic Party and between Democrats and Republicans. When he was in charge of the Senate, things got done. Nobody got what they wanted, but everybody got something. No one was entirely happy, but no one was left out entirely in the cold, either. Nobody trusted him, but everyone needed him. One of my favorite stories concerned a bill he pushed through the Senate for Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey had been trying for years to get a bill through Congress to provide better subsidies for farmers who left their fields fallow for a season. The Republicans blocked the bill every time Humphrey introduced it on principle. Finally LBJ took him aside. The language had to be written in such a way that Republicans would think they understood it BEFORE they figured out they were upset by it. "What about if instead of calling it the 'Soil Subsidy Program,' we called it 'The Soil Bank.' Republicans understand banks, after all. We'll hide the subsidies in the fine print." With that change, the bill zoomed through Congress in record time.
And that is the kind of thing that held my interest in the 700+ pages of Dallek's biography of LBJ. It tells the story of how the man "got things done" - usually by legal means, occasionally by playing around the edges of legality, once in awhile by sheer deception - a bold faced lie here, a burned bunch of ballots there. He managed always to justify it to himself because, from his perspective, the "cause" (making sure that things got done that needed doing) was much more important the means. Rarely have we had a politician who was so blatantly uninterested in just talking it death (whatever " it" is). I guess I'll just have to read Volume 2 to find out what happens when the consummate pragmatist now President runs headlong into a war that cannot be won and a Congress that refuses to stop talking long enough to take real votes.
Everyone who writes about LBJ paints him as a larger than life figure who took up all the space in whatever room he occupied, loomed menacingly over those who opposed him, told the dirtiest jokes and made the bawdiest comments, and almost always won by intimidation. People didn't like him -- but they respected him because he got things done. The uniqueness of Dallek's telling is that the reader can see, sometimes in minute detail, just HOW he managed that, working, as he generally did, non-stop, 16-20 hour days, for weeks and years on end, always keeping his eye out for what would work. Above all he was a pragmatist - he failed to live up to the dogmatic purity of either the Liberal wing of his party or the Dixie-crats of his region because he honed the fine line of the "middle way" --both among various factions of the Democratic Party and between Democrats and Republicans. When he was in charge of the Senate, things got done. Nobody got what they wanted, but everybody got something. No one was entirely happy, but no one was left out entirely in the cold, either. Nobody trusted him, but everyone needed him. One of my favorite stories concerned a bill he pushed through the Senate for Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey had been trying for years to get a bill through Congress to provide better subsidies for farmers who left their fields fallow for a season. The Republicans blocked the bill every time Humphrey introduced it on principle. Finally LBJ took him aside. The language had to be written in such a way that Republicans would think they understood it BEFORE they figured out they were upset by it. "What about if instead of calling it the 'Soil Subsidy Program,' we called it 'The Soil Bank.' Republicans understand banks, after all. We'll hide the subsidies in the fine print." With that change, the bill zoomed through Congress in record time.
And that is the kind of thing that held my interest in the 700+ pages of Dallek's biography of LBJ. It tells the story of how the man "got things done" - usually by legal means, occasionally by playing around the edges of legality, once in awhile by sheer deception - a bold faced lie here, a burned bunch of ballots there. He managed always to justify it to himself because, from his perspective, the "cause" (making sure that things got done that needed doing) was much more important the means. Rarely have we had a politician who was so blatantly uninterested in just talking it death (whatever " it" is). I guess I'll just have to read Volume 2 to find out what happens when the consummate pragmatist now President runs headlong into a war that cannot be won and a Congress that refuses to stop talking long enough to take real votes.
May 28, 2013
Dallek's book is a much fairer and more accurate portrait of Johnson than Caro's. Dallek doesn't pull any punches in revealing LBJ's flaws but he emphasizes core ideological beliefs that animate Johnson. For me, however, having read only one volume of each of the biographical series, Caro's is the more compelling read. I'm a little embarrassed to write this because Caro is clearly wrong in his analysis. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Johnson and I plan on reading the next volume. While I've not looked at it, the single volume Dallek biography of Johnson would probably suffice for most readers.
October 4, 2021
The first of a two-volume history, Lone Star Rising was very thorough and balanced. I am not an LBJ fan, but I learned a lot about his early life and political career up until he is elected Vice President. I look forward to starting the second book right away. LBJ comes across as a deeply flawed, complicated and extremely successful politician, but not always as a good man. I highly recommend this.
February 6, 2022
Extremely good.
January 19, 2013
I became interested in reading an LBJ biography after reading Managing with Power. Examples of LBJ's life and career were used throughout Managing with Power to demonstrate different ways of acquiring and wielding power; Managing with Power then ended by describing LBJ's passage of anti-segregation laws as the ultimate example of the change that can be acquired by accumulating power.
This book only covered LBJ's life up until his election to Vice President, so I haven't yet read about this ultimate exercise of power. But I greatly enjoyed learning more about LBJ; he is an extremely interesting person.
The bad / morally ambiguous:
- He stole votes and rigged elections, losing his first campaign for a Senate seat and winning his second Senatorial election (both opponents also stole votes)
- He broke campaign finance laws
- He seemed to personally think that segregation needed to stop but (at least prior to being elected VP) often voted to keep segregation in the South in order to maintain his elected offices
- He used his connections to get government licenses / priority treatment for his radio station as well as govt. contracts for his campaign financers
- He wasn't afraid to play dirty
The good / admirable:
- He was an amazingly hard worker, often working 18 hours a day for years on end
- He was both an awesome and a terrible boss; he was an incredibly inspirational person, driving his staff to work 17 hour days (which he justified because he was working 18) because they believed in the goals and agenda he laid out; at the same time he would basically take over his staff's lives, demanding work and assistance at all hours of the day
- He was born into poverty and managed to become quite wealthy and politically influential through his own hard work
- He believed strongly in the power of government to improve lives
- He served as the youngest and most successful NYA state administrator in his early 20s
- He had strong liberal leanings, serving as a key person in Congress in passing many of FDR's New Deal Programs; he was somewhat of a protege of FDR
- He loved finding the middle - finding common ground between opposite sides; he believed this was his strong suit
- He was an absolute master at accumulating power. When he entered the Senate he not only got to know every other member of the Senate but also learned as much as possible about them: what did they believe in, what did they need to stay in power and be reelected, what were the issues in their states, who were they friends with, what did they like to drink, who were they sleeping with, etc., etc. He focused on little things that could pay big dividends, for example, when he became Senate majority / minority leader he started accumulating owed favors by changing the way offices were distributed, some Senators were giving offices close to parking spaces, others larger suites or better views, those stuck in the smaller offices were given additional rooms in other locations. He took on extremely difficult assignments and succeeded at them, for example, during one of the mid-term elections of FDR's Presidency, FDR put him in charge of fund raising and distributing funds for House elections; he raised unprecedented amounts of money and managed to increase the number of Democrats in the House in a year when the Democrats were expected to lose seats.
- He was willing to work with the opposition. As a Senate minority and later Senate majority leader during the Eisenhower administration Eisenhower found it easier to work with LBJ and the Democratic Senate than the Republicans.
- He was incredibly driven. He became the youngest Senate minority leader in history, after only being in the Senate for two years. He then became the youngest Senate majority leader two years later.
- He was effective. Again, he believed in the power of government to help people. As Senate majority leader he led the most effective session of Congress in over 100 years - while the opposite party was in power.
I look forward to reading more about LBJ when I read the second volume of this biography. For now I am left feeling impressed by how hard-working, effective and intelligent he was; a bit disappointed that he had abused his powers as a government employee; and very disappointed that he hadn't stood up more against racism. But mainly I am left thinking that I wish we had more people like LBJ in today's Congress - people who believed that Government could help people, people willing to work with the other party, people who could get things done.
As for the book itself, it was quite good but I wish it were about half as long.
This book only covered LBJ's life up until his election to Vice President, so I haven't yet read about this ultimate exercise of power. But I greatly enjoyed learning more about LBJ; he is an extremely interesting person.
The bad / morally ambiguous:
- He stole votes and rigged elections, losing his first campaign for a Senate seat and winning his second Senatorial election (both opponents also stole votes)
- He broke campaign finance laws
- He seemed to personally think that segregation needed to stop but (at least prior to being elected VP) often voted to keep segregation in the South in order to maintain his elected offices
- He used his connections to get government licenses / priority treatment for his radio station as well as govt. contracts for his campaign financers
- He wasn't afraid to play dirty
The good / admirable:
- He was an amazingly hard worker, often working 18 hours a day for years on end
- He was both an awesome and a terrible boss; he was an incredibly inspirational person, driving his staff to work 17 hour days (which he justified because he was working 18) because they believed in the goals and agenda he laid out; at the same time he would basically take over his staff's lives, demanding work and assistance at all hours of the day
- He was born into poverty and managed to become quite wealthy and politically influential through his own hard work
- He believed strongly in the power of government to improve lives
- He served as the youngest and most successful NYA state administrator in his early 20s
- He had strong liberal leanings, serving as a key person in Congress in passing many of FDR's New Deal Programs; he was somewhat of a protege of FDR
- He loved finding the middle - finding common ground between opposite sides; he believed this was his strong suit
- He was an absolute master at accumulating power. When he entered the Senate he not only got to know every other member of the Senate but also learned as much as possible about them: what did they believe in, what did they need to stay in power and be reelected, what were the issues in their states, who were they friends with, what did they like to drink, who were they sleeping with, etc., etc. He focused on little things that could pay big dividends, for example, when he became Senate majority / minority leader he started accumulating owed favors by changing the way offices were distributed, some Senators were giving offices close to parking spaces, others larger suites or better views, those stuck in the smaller offices were given additional rooms in other locations. He took on extremely difficult assignments and succeeded at them, for example, during one of the mid-term elections of FDR's Presidency, FDR put him in charge of fund raising and distributing funds for House elections; he raised unprecedented amounts of money and managed to increase the number of Democrats in the House in a year when the Democrats were expected to lose seats.
- He was willing to work with the opposition. As a Senate minority and later Senate majority leader during the Eisenhower administration Eisenhower found it easier to work with LBJ and the Democratic Senate than the Republicans.
- He was incredibly driven. He became the youngest Senate minority leader in history, after only being in the Senate for two years. He then became the youngest Senate majority leader two years later.
- He was effective. Again, he believed in the power of government to help people. As Senate majority leader he led the most effective session of Congress in over 100 years - while the opposite party was in power.
I look forward to reading more about LBJ when I read the second volume of this biography. For now I am left feeling impressed by how hard-working, effective and intelligent he was; a bit disappointed that he had abused his powers as a government employee; and very disappointed that he hadn't stood up more against racism. But mainly I am left thinking that I wish we had more people like LBJ in today's Congress - people who believed that Government could help people, people willing to work with the other party, people who could get things done.
As for the book itself, it was quite good but I wish it were about half as long.
December 22, 2021
I have to confess to being blown away by Robert Caro's multi volume LBJ biography and my reaction to Lone Star Rising is coloured by that.
Dallek sets out, in his view, to give a more balanced view of LBJ than other biographers - clearly a nod in Caro's direction. What results is a detailed 'what happened next and who said what to whom kind of biography that lacks the flow, background colour and incisive comment of Caro.
No matter how hard Dallek tries to provide balance there is no covering up of LBJ's personal flaws. In the final chapter he recounts how it was a miracle his staff didn't kill him such was the pressure he placed them under! There is no doubt that Johnson was the consummate politician who knew better than anyone how to use the power he gained. But then Caro makes that very same point in a much more informative way.
The more I read about Lyndon Baines Johnson, the more admiration I have for that remarkable woman who stood by his side and supported him no matter what, Lady Bird Johnson.
Dallek sets out, in his view, to give a more balanced view of LBJ than other biographers - clearly a nod in Caro's direction. What results is a detailed 'what happened next and who said what to whom kind of biography that lacks the flow, background colour and incisive comment of Caro.
No matter how hard Dallek tries to provide balance there is no covering up of LBJ's personal flaws. In the final chapter he recounts how it was a miracle his staff didn't kill him such was the pressure he placed them under! There is no doubt that Johnson was the consummate politician who knew better than anyone how to use the power he gained. But then Caro makes that very same point in a much more informative way.
The more I read about Lyndon Baines Johnson, the more admiration I have for that remarkable woman who stood by his side and supported him no matter what, Lady Bird Johnson.
May 17, 2012
This is really fair biography on LBJ. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to someone who is looking for a more digestible volume than Caro's present works.
June 1, 2023
Lone Star Rising: Vol. 1: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 2908-1960 by Robert Dallek is an incredibly balanced biography on Lyndon Johnson from his youth to his ascent to the Vice Presidency under John Kennedy. As I have not read Robert Caro’s majestic 4 part biography, still waiting for volume 5, I cannot give a fair comparison, but is certainly a 4.5 to 5 star rated biography.
Robert Dallek traces Andrew Johnson drive coming from his father, a politician in Texas, and his mother’s unfailing beliefs and efforts to make him successful, sometimes in spite of himself. A young adult of the Great Depression he was an avid if sometimes a pragmatic supporter of the poor, Mexicans and African Americans, as well as a friend to the farmer and the oil interests.
His rise from a supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, the young secretary to Texas Congressman Kleberg and a leader of the National Youth Administration in Texas, support of the rural electrification program.
He later became a Texas Congressman in his own right from 1937 to 1948, a Texas Senator from 1959 to 1954 a reign as the Texas Minority Leader and from 1950 - 1960 the Majority Leader of the senate. Known as a bipartisan leader who supported many of The Eisenhower’s administration policies and was a firm believer in better to get half a cake in his domestic and foreign agenda than loftier bills which were inevitably vetoed.
His rise to vice presidential candidate and later vice president and an inspired choice by Kennedy, who brought Kennedy to the south and western vote and fought off the anti catholic leaning of much of the country.
I firmly would endorse this as a great biography on Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Robert Dallek traces Andrew Johnson drive coming from his father, a politician in Texas, and his mother’s unfailing beliefs and efforts to make him successful, sometimes in spite of himself. A young adult of the Great Depression he was an avid if sometimes a pragmatic supporter of the poor, Mexicans and African Americans, as well as a friend to the farmer and the oil interests.
His rise from a supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, the young secretary to Texas Congressman Kleberg and a leader of the National Youth Administration in Texas, support of the rural electrification program.
He later became a Texas Congressman in his own right from 1937 to 1948, a Texas Senator from 1959 to 1954 a reign as the Texas Minority Leader and from 1950 - 1960 the Majority Leader of the senate. Known as a bipartisan leader who supported many of The Eisenhower’s administration policies and was a firm believer in better to get half a cake in his domestic and foreign agenda than loftier bills which were inevitably vetoed.
His rise to vice presidential candidate and later vice president and an inspired choice by Kennedy, who brought Kennedy to the south and western vote and fought off the anti catholic leaning of much of the country.
I firmly would endorse this as a great biography on Lyndon Baines Johnson.
January 20, 2025
A thoroughly deep dive into Lyndon B. Johnson’s life and career from the Hill Counties of Texas to being elected to the office of the Vice Presidency, this book is able to brilliantly shine a light on to one of the most fascinating men in American history.
A man of many contradictions and political calculations, this book is able to paint the picture of his charm, work ethnic, brilliance, ruthlessness, and pure determination that allowed him to so quickly climb the ladder of American politics. Despite the many compromises and calculations he makes along the way, along with endless tales of corruption and election rigging (though in my view justified at the time), you can’t help but root for him and the great progress he brings this country.
He is a man of his time and his circumstances, and the court of public opinion and political power certainly influence him at every turn, you can’t not see the committed liberal within him, one that will come to shine brightly in the next volume.
Couldn’t recommend this book enough
A man of many contradictions and political calculations, this book is able to paint the picture of his charm, work ethnic, brilliance, ruthlessness, and pure determination that allowed him to so quickly climb the ladder of American politics. Despite the many compromises and calculations he makes along the way, along with endless tales of corruption and election rigging (though in my view justified at the time), you can’t help but root for him and the great progress he brings this country.
He is a man of his time and his circumstances, and the court of public opinion and political power certainly influence him at every turn, you can’t not see the committed liberal within him, one that will come to shine brightly in the next volume.
Couldn’t recommend this book enough
October 10, 2017
There is an epic story of America in the 20th century in the life of LBJ. Volume 1 fully captures that promise. Volume 2 falls off, most especially in failing to put the events it depicts into the larger context of events unfolding around the world and in the lives of so many Americans. LBJ lived the most Shakespearean life of any President. From literally dirt poor to President on the back of his willpower and political talent (even though he was kind of a terrible public speaker) coupled with the corruption and secrecy that ultimately destroys his Presidency, his life, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans in the Vietnam war. There is a truly, truly incredible story in the life of LBJ and I hope someday someone with the talent to do so finally writes it.
December 24, 2025
Lone Star Rising investigates the early sources of LBJ’ political ambitions and each of the contradictions that those sources entailed. Throughout, Dallek posits that LBJ was ideologically motivated by a kind of “liberal nationalism,” a vision enhanced by his desire to finally integrate Dixie into the American project once and for all. If you are looking for a dense, highly footnoted investigation into LBJ’s ideology, and even a case study of how the Democratic Party transformed—or evolved—from a Jeffersonian, highly factional coalition party in the early twentieth century to a more ideologically organized party with Hamiltonian goals of expanding state capacity by the mid-twentieth century, this is the book for you.
December 31, 2020
Did not Finish, made it to page 460 and the year 1954. But this book which according to the Robert took 7 years to write. Is very in depth, how this Texan thought, acted, etc. Anyway, ran out of library time (and time in general) I have a different view of the great depression, WWII, and Korea and am sure Lyndon had a different view of Vietnam. But that I may never learn. Anyhow READ and Think, Life is to Short to argue and complain
May 30, 2022
It took forever to finish.
Carefully researched, well constructed and even handed. It painted a compelling picture of how LBJ relentlessly climbed the political ladder. The myriad of details really show how the political sausage was made.
That said, what a difference with today’s environment. Bipartisanship was a real thing that allowed progress despite party loyalty.
Hoping the second volume on Johnson’s life is a bit less of a slog.
Carefully researched, well constructed and even handed. It painted a compelling picture of how LBJ relentlessly climbed the political ladder. The myriad of details really show how the political sausage was made.
That said, what a difference with today’s environment. Bipartisanship was a real thing that allowed progress despite party loyalty.
Hoping the second volume on Johnson’s life is a bit less of a slog.
October 16, 2017
Great book, a lot to learn about the history of the United States from the 1930s till 1950s
December 21, 2018
Lyndon Johnson was a much more complicated man than most people realize, this book is a great look at the man who became President in times that had the country devastated, saddened and yes, angry.
December 22, 2019
A great book on how the different political parties use to work together for the public good. This is no longer the case since tRump has split the country.
February 20, 2021
This is Vol 1 of Dallek's thorough and outstanding biography of LBJ. I definitely recommend it. Now on to Vol 2...
Read
May 25, 2023people always say not to idolize historical figures, AND I DON't, but I do idolize historians. Robert Dallek is my hero <3
June 7, 2010
Part 1 of a two volume biography that ends right before LBJ becomes the VP. A great read for somebody interested in the inner workings of politics. LBJ was the consummate politician. In this book we see him first as a congressman and then as one of the most successsful Senate Majority leaders ever. LBJ was a master at finding out exactly what made other politicians tick and what they wanted and then used that to get them to vote his way on legislation. It wasn't always pretty as there was a lot of back room dealing and arm twisting. With some people he was a bully, and with others he would be teary eyed and appeal to their soft side. He knew exactly how to perform to get his way. Not a person that I would personally like but I can't deny he got the job done and the fact that I agree with most of the bills he pushed makes it easier for me to overlook his faults.
September 7, 2015
Johnson = fascinating. Crazy, too. This first half of the two-volume bio introduces the reader to an ambitious, nervy, sometimes off-putting political genius; it's also rich with detail about Texas, Texan history, and Texas politics that you might not have known you totally want to know. Johnson's life path includes farms, high school debate teams, assisting people in power, barely getting by financially, impulsive life decisions AND calculated strategy, journeys to Washington, helicopters around Texas, maniacal working hours, backroom deals, bipartisan coalitions, accusations a-plenty, and much more. And this was just up through the 1960 election! Really informative book, and generally good pacing. On to the next volume!
April 5, 2009
Great one-volume (actually it was the first of a two-volume series) on LBJ written by one of my college professors at UCLA.
December 11, 2012
I became fascinated by LBJ after visiting his presidential library and museum in Austin last year. This book, even at condensed content, is a well researched tome on a larger-than-life character.
June 20, 2009
Excellent counterbalance to Caro's first three volumes.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews