Claudia Alta Taylor was born on December 22, 1912, in the family home 2.7 miles south. She was the third child and only daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Minnie Pattillo Taylor, and her father had a general store in Karnack for many years. Known in youth as “Lady Bird,” a pet name given by her nurse, Alice Tittle, she attended public schools in the Fern community, in Jefferson, and in Marshall, and earned Bachelor of Arts and Journalism degrees at the University of Texas. On November 17, 1934, she married Lyndon Baines Johnson, a congressional staff member who became head of the National Youth Administration in Texas in 1935. The Johnsons were the parents of two daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines. During her husband’s rise as United States Congressman, Senator, Senate Majority Leader, Vice President, and President, Mrs. Johnson added to her roles as wife and mother that of hostess to many of the world’s greatest statesmen. As First Lady of the United States, she remained true to her east Texas heritage of love for gardens, trees, unspoiled natural scenery, and historic sites, and she sponsored national programs of conservation, beautification, and historical preservation.