One of the few presidents considered a truly self-made man, Johnson was born into humble origins in south-central Texas. At one time a schoolteacher to make ends meet, Johnson began accumulating wealth as a congressman. One of his more significant assets was the purchase in the 1950s of a radio and television station in Austin, Texas. Bought in his wife’s name, the TV station was for many years the only one in Austin. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, also accumulated 1,500 acres over time in Blanco County, Texas, where he built his home, nicknamed the “Texas White House.”
AP/File
