II.

Vice-President

Defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts in his bid for the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination, Johnson unexpectedly accepted the vice-presidential nomination and was an important element in Kennedy's narrow victory. As vice-president he vigorously supported the space programme and travelled widely on behalf of the administration. However, he was largely ignored by both John and Robert Kennedy, and it is thought they were planning to choose another vice-presidential candidate for the 1964 election.

Johnson was riding in the second car behind Kennedy when the president was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. A Secret Service agent pushed the vice-president to the floor of the car and sat on him until they reached Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Johnson learned that Kennedy was dead. Fearing a conspiracy, he took the oath of office on board the presidential jet, Air Force One, before returning to Washington, D.C.