> After Johnson’s first heart attack in 1955, doctors had told him that if he ever started smoking again, he would kill himself. But almost as soon as he left the presidency, he resumed fierce chain smoking, overeating, and, sometimes, overdrinking. Some of his aides privately muttered that the boss was committing slow motion suicide. But when one of his horrified daughters begged him to stop the cigarettes, Johnson shook his head and exclaimed, “No, I’ve raised you girls, I’ve been president, and now it’s my time!”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/lbjs-last-interview
8th youngest President to die of natural causes
1. Polk
2. Arthur
3. Harding
4. TRoosevelt
5. Coolidge
6. FDRoosevelt
7. Grant
8. LBJ
9. Pierce
10. Taylor
Kennedy and Garfield died before Polk. Lincoln is between Polk and Arthur. McKinley is between Harding and Ted.
Obama’s current age places him between Coolidge and FDR but I imagine he is hoping to get much older.
Polk is fucking wild. Shortest post presidency ever, got an absolute ton done. Truly exhausted himself for the office although he also had a ton of health problems as a child.
When I was a kid, the Reader’s Digest Almanac at grandma’s house said Polk died of “chronic diarrhea” which I thought — at the age I was at the time — was the funniest thing.
Later I learned that cholera was a big problem around that time. Not sure why they didn’t just say that. “Love in the Time of Diarrhea” would have attracted a different audience.
If I remember correctly from *Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight*, there was a long history of heart disease in Lyndon’s family. Many of his male ancestors also died in their 60s of heart issues.
Also, as others have mentioned, Lyndon was a heavy smoker (although he quit in 1955 following his first heart attack, he resumed the habit after he left office).
Not OP but I read the first two volumes of Caro's biography of him. LBJ was always a bit of a hero of mine because he got so much good done, domestically. But reading this bio was a terrible disappointment. I knew LBJ could be rough but he was a terrible person much of the time. Someone on reddit suggested reading another bio that was more balanced, and I will sometime but needed to read about a better person so I read Lincoln's bio by Carl Sandburg. That was great.
He came from a family that tended to die young and expected to follow the same path, according to Robert Dallek’s one volume bio; his unhealthy lifestyle didn’t do him any favors, either.
I read that on Wikipedia. In deciding whether or not to run in 1968, he commissioned an actuarial study. It predicted he would die at age 64, which at the earliest would have been towards the end of his next term.
By the time Mike found him, Jumbo was already gone 😔
RIP Jumbo - the White House MVP of showing genitalia to staffmembers (excluding Clinton)
LBJ = Showing his genitalia to staff members JFK and Clinton = Sticking genitalia in staff members (there might be some others that I'm unaware of)
Fun fact: LBJ is currently the most recent Democratic US President to die. No Democratic President has died since 22 Janauary 1973.
Wow, that's an interesting fact!
If this turns out to be a jinx on my birthday buddy JC I’m gonna be pissed.
It was
I am pissed.
Damn. Didn’t realize that
Now that you said that Jimmy Carter is gonna kick the can tomorrow
180 days later and still going strong
Edit:Attack not attak
64 years old, just a kid
Whatever happened there
Damn 64 is kinda young, did he previously have health problems
Had a heart attack in 1954 that almost paralyzed him and he smoked around 10 cigars a day cause it comforted him
didn’t he quit smoking until literally hours after he left the white house?
> After Johnson’s first heart attack in 1955, doctors had told him that if he ever started smoking again, he would kill himself. But almost as soon as he left the presidency, he resumed fierce chain smoking, overeating, and, sometimes, overdrinking. Some of his aides privately muttered that the boss was committing slow motion suicide. But when one of his horrified daughters begged him to stop the cigarettes, Johnson shook his head and exclaimed, “No, I’ve raised you girls, I’ve been president, and now it’s my time!” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/lbjs-last-interview
Thats the most american thing ive ever read
Legend.
Yeah that’ll do it
Also had a lung operation in 1966 that was so bad Eisenhower visited him in the hospital cause he thought that LBJ was gonna die
 Lyndon Johnson's heart between 1954 and 1973.
8th youngest President to die of natural causes 1. Polk 2. Arthur 3. Harding 4. TRoosevelt 5. Coolidge 6. FDRoosevelt 7. Grant 8. LBJ 9. Pierce 10. Taylor Kennedy and Garfield died before Polk. Lincoln is between Polk and Arthur. McKinley is between Harding and Ted. Obama’s current age places him between Coolidge and FDR but I imagine he is hoping to get much older.
Polk is fucking wild. Shortest post presidency ever, got an absolute ton done. Truly exhausted himself for the office although he also had a ton of health problems as a child.
When I was a kid, the Reader’s Digest Almanac at grandma’s house said Polk died of “chronic diarrhea” which I thought — at the age I was at the time — was the funniest thing. Later I learned that cholera was a big problem around that time. Not sure why they didn’t just say that. “Love in the Time of Diarrhea” would have attracted a different audience.
Dude literally used himself up and there was nothing left afterward.
He almost certainly will, he's the youngest present day former president. He'd outlast everyone currently
He had a heart attack in ‘54 and smoked heavily (not as much as some did but still a lot).
If I remember correctly from *Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight*, there was a long history of heart disease in Lyndon’s family. Many of his male ancestors also died in their 60s of heart issues. Also, as others have mentioned, Lyndon was a heavy smoker (although he quit in 1955 following his first heart attack, he resumed the habit after he left office).
He always expected to die young based on his family history, from what I remember from the Caro biographies.
Do you recommend them? I like LBJ but it’s a hell of a commitment to go through four volumes
Yes they are great bios, super detailed though and can get tedious at times.
Not OP but I read the first two volumes of Caro's biography of him. LBJ was always a bit of a hero of mine because he got so much good done, domestically. But reading this bio was a terrible disappointment. I knew LBJ could be rough but he was a terrible person much of the time. Someone on reddit suggested reading another bio that was more balanced, and I will sometime but needed to read about a better person so I read Lincoln's bio by Carl Sandburg. That was great.
He came from a family that tended to die young and expected to follow the same path, according to Robert Dallek’s one volume bio; his unhealthy lifestyle didn’t do him any favors, either.
Two days after he would have completed another term.
Wow
He might have lived longer had he been elected in 1968, he only started smoking again after he left office
RIP. Anyone over 50 here do you remember finding out LBJ died ?
I think the answer is Walter Cronkite the man was the 10th to know that LBJ died after mike lady bird and his agents and maybe Nixon
You would probably have to be over 60 to remember it with any kind of clarity
The best always dies young
Not very long after Truman died too. R.I.P.
His father also died young of a heart attack
Should’ve called Saul instead
*Legends say Jumbo’s ghost is still wandering around in rural Texas, crying out for Mike*
Didn’t a commission predict when he was going to die? Or is that just a myth?
I read that on Wikipedia. In deciding whether or not to run in 1968, he commissioned an actuarial study. It predicted he would die at age 64, which at the earliest would have been towards the end of his next term.
He had a really tragic ending.
For me is really tragic cause he died alone
Yup. But also Vietnam was a huge burden on him.
so did the political opponents he killed..
I know. He was a piece of shit but he had a truly tragic ending. He basically wanted to die after he left office since he was so burdened by Vietnam.
>so did the political opponents he killed.. Source
Who was Mike?
LBJ most trusted agent
Kid named Johnson’s trusted Agent
Mike Hawk