Sam Houston Johnson (January 31, 1914 – December 11, 1978) was an American businessman. He was the younger brother of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Early life Sam Houston Johnson was born in Johnson City, Texas, on January 31, 1914, to Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines.Clarke Newlon, L. B. J. The Man from Johnson City, 1970, p. 225. He attended Southwest Texas State Teachers College, as had his brother Lyndon, and the University of Texas at Austin.Rebekah Baines Johnson, A Family Album, 1965, p. 125. He received a law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1934.Cumberland University, Cumberland University Bulletin, 1935, p. 106.New York Times & Arno Press, The New York Times Biographical Service, Volume 9, 1978, p. 1197.
Early career For most of his life, Johnson was an aide and adviser to his older brother Lyndon B. Johnson; he was part of a network of supporters his brother used to maintain awareness of and control over political activities in Texas. When Lyndon Johnson was appointed Director of the National Youth Administration in Texas in the 1930s, Sam Houston Johnson replaced him as chief aide to Congressman Richard M. Kleberg.
Johnson later worked for the National Youth Administration in Texas. He also worked as an appraiser for the Federal Land Bank in Houston, and reported to his brother on its activities.Robert A. Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power, 2011, p. 289
During World War II, Johnson worked on the staff of the War Production Board.New York Times Biographical Service In addition, he was employed as a member of his brother's Senate staff and worked on Lyndon Johnson's campaigns."Sam Houston Johnson Highly Valuable To His Senator Brother", Corsicana Daily Sun, 2 April 1959
Besides working for and with his brother, Johnson also worked as an insurance executive and as the Mexico representative of a Texas international trucking company.Sam Houston Johnson, My Brother Lyndon, 1970, p. 96New York Times Biographical Service
Later career Johnson was an alcoholic. In his later years, his drinking, coupled with physical disability caused by a broken hip, limited his effectiveness as a member of his brother's organization.U.S. Government Printing Office, Hearing Record, Federal Pay Legislation, U.S. Senate Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, 1967, page 366Larry L. David. "Bringing Up Lyndon", Texas Monthly, January 1976, page 80
In 1970 Johnson wrote a memoir, My Brother Lyndon, which praised his brother in most respects, but was critical in others.Sam Houston Johnson, My Brother Lyndon, 1970, title page At the time, Johnson indicated that he was estranged from his brother, but said his book was not the cause. The two reconciled before Lyndon Johnson's death."Obituary: Sam Houston Johnson, Brother of LBJ", St. Petersburg Times, 12 December 1978
According to published accounts, Johnson stopped drinking in 1972 and underwent a religious conversion, becoming a regular attendee at services of Austin's non-denominational Community Church.Associated Press, "200 Pay Tribute at LBJ Brother's Rites", Victoria Advocate, 14 December 1978
Historian Robert Caro interviewed Johnson as one of his numerous sources while conducting research for The Years of Lyndon Johnson. According to Caro, he at first considered Johnson to be unreliable, largely as a result of his drinking. Caro said that he considered Johnson more credible in their subsequent encounters, largely because of his sobriety and religious conversion.Robert A. Caro, Robert A. Caro on the Art of Biography, Random House, retrieved February 12, 2014
Death and burial In 1976 Johnson was diagnosed with cancer and had a malignant tumor removed from his lung.Associated Press, "LBJ's Brother Has Surgery", Aiken Standard, 9 December 1976 His lung cancer returned, and Johnson died at Holy Cross Hospital in Austin, Texas on December 11, 1978.Associated Press, "Sam Johnson is Dead at Age 64", Spartanburg Herald-Journal, 12 December 1978 He is buried in the Johnson Family Cemetery in Stonewall, Texas.
Marriage and family In 1940, Johnson married Albertine Summers. They divorced in 1944. Their children included a daughter, Josefa Roxane (or Roxanne) (b. 1941), and a son, Samuel Summers (b. 1942).
In 1955, Johnson married again to Mary Jane Michelson Fish. They later divorced.Rebekah Baines Johnson, A Family Album
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