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Lyndon B. Johnson: 36th President (1963 – 1969)
• Born: August 27, 1908
• Birthplace: Central (Johnson City), Texas
• Died: January 22, 1973
• Best Known As: 36th President of the
United States; “LBJ”
Additional highlights of Johnson's presidency include:
• Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the
Open Housing Act of 1968
• Passage of legislation creating the National
Endowments for the Arts and Humanities
and the National Endowment for the
Humanities
• Passage of the Highway Safety Act
• Passage of the Public Broadcasting Act
• Passage of Social Security Act 1965, which
created the Medicare and Medicaid
programs
• Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to
orbit the moon
Secretary of the Treasury appointed by President Johnson:
• Henry H. Fowler (Alexandria, Virginia)
April 1, 1965 – December 20, 1968
• Joseph W. Barr (Bicknell, Indiana)
December 21, 1968 – January 20, 1969
United States Mint Directors Appointed by President Johnson:
• None
Coinage legislation enacted during Johnson’s presidency:
• December 30, 1963 - signs Public Law 88-
256, approving placement of John
Kennedy's portrait on the half dollar coin.
• August 3, 1964 - signs bill authorizing
coinage of 45 million silver Peace dollars.
• May 15, 1965 - announces the start of
resumed silver dollar production.
• May 24, 1965 - orders a halt to striking of
silver dollars.
• June 3, 1965 - proposes to Congress to
authorize replacing silver in circulation
coins with cheaper base metals.
• July 15, 1965 - The US House of
Representatives passes the Coinage Act of
1965.
• July 23, 1965 - signs into law the Coinage
Act of 1965.
Some provisions:
○ authorizes re-opening the San Francisco
facility as a coinage production facility,
○ the composition of the dime and quarter
dollar are changed from 90 percent silver
and 10 percent copper to 91.67 percent
copper and 8.33 percent nickel (two outer
layers of 75 percent copper, bonded to
core of pure copper),
○ the composition of the half dollar is
changed from 90 percent silver and 10
percent copper to 40 percent silver and
60 percent copper (two outer layers of 80
percent silver, bonded to a core of 21.5
percent silver),
○ allows striking of 1964-dated and 1965-
dated coins into 1966,
○ suspends production of any silver dollar
coins for five years,
○ gives Secretary of the Treasury the
power to prohibit melting of silver coins,
○ makes legal tender the half cent coins
struck since 1793,
○ suspends use of mint marks on coinage
for five years.
• Coinage Act of 1965: Amended the act of
1792, eliminated silver from the dime, and
quarter and substantially reducing the
amount of silver in the half-dollar.
• March 20, 1968 - signs legislation
removing gold backing from US currency.