Johnson first ran for a seat in the Senate in 1941, but lost to Texas governor and popular radio personality Wilbert Lee “Pappy” Daniel. However, he won a controversial election in 1948 over Governor Coke Stevenson. He won by such a scant margin that he was dubbed “Landslide Lyndon.” Allegations have been made through the years that Johnson and his team used unsavory means to win the election.

Whatever the circumstances of his narrow victory, Johnson became a fixture in the U.S. Senate, serving from 1949 until 1961. He was the first chairman of the Senate’s Aeronautics and Space Science Committee. He also worked as the chair of the Armed Services Defense Preparedness Subcommittee. He initially voted against civil rights legislative, but in 1957 switched course and became a supporter of such legislation.