This is the first volume of a biographical study of Lyndon Johnson's place in American society. It traces his political career from the House of Representatives to the Senate, from his role as Majority Leader during the Eisenhower presidency, to his nomination for Vice President in 1960.



Previous studies of the rise of Lyndon B. Johnson have concentrated on his ruthless careerism without giving him due credit for his political brilliance, his genuine concern for minorities and the repressed, and his role in fully integrating the South into modern America. Beginning with his early days in Texas, his progress from Representatives to Senate, and his role as Majority Leader under Eisenhower, this first volume in Robert Dallek's biography ends with his nomination as Vice-President in 1960. This balanced account presents the LBJ esteemed by the likes of Roosevelt and Kennedy.