Thoughts on Lady Bird Johnson’s passing

I wasn’t around when Lady Bird Johnson was First Lady of the United States, but to me it is always a big deal when the spouse of a head of state passes. We mark our times and eras through the leaders, but oftentimes, we chart the progress of our society through their spouses. Lady Bird Johnson—born Claudia Alta Taylor but known by her nickname—was “the other LBJ” who had the decorum of her predecessor, but was a markedly different woman to, say, Hillary Clinton, who took a very active role in her husband’s image and policies (and may wind up being President herself).
   It is not to say that Mrs Johnson was not active in politics. When white southerners felt that their way of life was under threat from the Civil Rights Movement, it was Mrs Johnson who went on a tour to appeal to constituents. However, the way First Ladies were involved in the 1960s were seen as less bolshy as their involvement in the 1990s. Mrs Johnson provided the 36th US presidency with a sense of stability during an era which saw the United States change hugely.
   As the 1970s unfolded, we saw First Ladies take their turn in the spotlight with growing media interest, arguably started in the early 1960s with Jacqueline Kennedy’s tour of the White House. Betty Ford on The Mary Tyler Moore Show comes to mind in the mid-1970s, while in the 1980s, Nancy Reagan, a former actress, fitted in to a glamorous era.
   Mrs Johnson said she had had a wonderful life, aware that she is part of a very exclusive league. Forty years after her stay at the White House as First Lady, we can take the opportunity that her passing provides: to take stock once more of the contributions that she made, a symbol of reassurance and American values, and analyse whether they are fitting for our times. I say that the more things change, the more they stay the same.