Lyndon Baines Johnson became the 36th President of the United States on November 22, 1963, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Johnson automatically succeeded to the presidency on Kennedy’s death.
He took the oath of office on the presidential plane Air Force One, before it left Dallas, Texas, carrying Kennedy’s body back to Washington.
LBJ takes the oath of office on Air Force One – November 22, 1963
The oath was administered by Sarah Hughes (1896-1985), a Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She is the only woman to have ever sworn in a US President.
Hughes was a Johnson ally. She was appointed a Federal judge over the wishes of Attorney-General Robert Kennedy after Speaker Sam Rayburn held up a bill important to Kennedy. Johnson was reportedly outraged at what he regarded as an attempt by the Kennedys to embarrass and insult him in Texas.
- Listen to Johnson take the oath of office on November 22, 1963 (30s)
