Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor was born in Karnack, Texas on December 22, 1912. Lady Bird, the nickname given by nursemaid Alice Tittle, attended high school in Marshall and junior college at Dallas' St. Mary's Episcopal College for Women. In 1933 through 1934, she received a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.    Mutual friends introduced Lady Bird to congressional aide and rising political star, Lyndon Baines Johnson. LBJ proposed on the couple's first date and the two were married a month later on November 17, 1934. Lady Bird financed her husband's first congressional campaign for Austin's Tenth District using a portion of her maternal inheritance. During World War II, Lady Bird ran the congressional office while LBJ served in the US Navy.  In 1943, Lady Bird purchased Austin Radio station KTBC. The station proved an integral part of the LBJ Holding Company and became the main source of the Johnson family's fortune.    LBJ's political career gained momentum in the post war years, and in 1960, he became Vice President to John F. Kennedy. Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as Commander and Chief aboard Air Force One following President Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. As first lady, Lady Bird initiated the Society for a More Beautiful National Capitol and worked with the American Association of Nurserymen to promote the planting of wildflowers along highways. In 1964, the first lady traveled through eight southern states aboard her train, "The Lady Bird Special," to foster support for LBJ's presidential re-election and the Civil Rights Act. She was influential in promoting the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, referred to as "Lady Bird's Bill," and the Head Start program .   Following the death of LBJ in 1973, Lady Bird turned her attention to Austin. The Town Lake Beautification Project transformed Austin's downtown lake, renamed Lady Bird Lake in 2007, into a useable recreation area. On December 22, 1982, Lady Bird and Helen Hays founded the National Wildflower Research Center outside of Austin. The Wildflower Center was established to increase awareness and research for North American flora.  During her lifetime, the former first lady received the highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1988. Lady Bird died of natural causes on July 11, 2007, survived by two daughters, seven grandchildren, and  ten great-grandchildren. 

Purchased from a family member in 1951 while Lyndon B. Johnson served in the U.S. Senate, "the ranch," located in Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country was the Johnsons' family home. The LBJ Ranch made its debut to the American public during Johnson's vice presidency (1961 - 1963) when it was used to host state visits of foreign dignitaries, high-ranking Washington politicians, and campaign functions.  As President (1963 – 1969), Johnson conducted official business at the ranch, including state visits and lawn chair staff meetings, earning it the name, the Texas White House.  On December 2, 1969, the ranch, along with Johnson City and Johnson's birthplace, was authorized as Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site, and became a United States National Historic Park on December 28, 1980.  Both President and Lady Bird Johnson are buried in the family cemetery within the National Historic Park.

Texas congressmen and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn, was born in Roane County, Tennessee on January 6, 1882. In 1887 the Rayburn family moved from Tennessee to a cotton farm near Windom, Texas. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from East Texas Normal College (now Texas A&M University–Commerce), he taught school for two years then left to pursue a career in law. In 1906, Rayburn won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and attended law school at the University of Texas between legislative sessions. He served in the state legislature for two more terms, serving as Speaker in 1910.    In 1912, Rayburn was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from the Fourth Texas District. He had no Republican opponent during his congressional career and maintained one of the longest records of service in the house at 48 years. Congressman Rayburn was elected Speaker of the House in 1940 and continued as Speaker in every Democratically controlled Congress from 1940-1961, serving as minority-leader during the two Republican periods. During his congressional career, Rayburn participated in the passage of some of the most influential legislation and was a leading supporter of the New Deal. The Congressman passed the Truth in Securities Act, The Rural Electrification Act, the Public Utilities Holding Act, and the Emergency Railroad Transportation Act while chairman of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee from 1931 to 1937. Rayburn worked closely with Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson during the Eisenhower administration, supporting LBJ in his campaign for the presidency and later vice-presidency.    Respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, Rayburn's personal integrity was legendary. The Congressman refused money from lobbyists and was effective in dealing with his constituents. Rayburn's efforts brought farm-to-market roads, Lake Texoma, Lavon Lake, The Veteran Administrative Hospital in McKinney, and Perrin Field Sir Force Base to Texas's fourth district. In 1949 Rayburn was awarded the Collier's Award for Distinguished Service to the Nation, and the $10,000 award served as the basis for establishing the Sam Rayburn Library at Bonham. The library was dedicated by former President Truman in 1957 and housed Rayburn's public and private papers until they were moved to the University of Texas. Sam Rayburn died of cancer in 1961 and is buried in Bonham.