LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe
In 1969, President Lyndon Baines Johnson invited a group of individuals to join him in supporting two institutions that were under construction at The University of Texas at Austin - the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs. Soon after President Johnson left the White House, this group was incorporated as the Health Education and Conservation (HEC) Foundation by Harry H. Ransom, Frank C. Erwin, Jr. and William W. Heath, who were elected as the foundation's first trustees.
In 1973, the HEC Foundation was renamed The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation. The mission, however, remained the same - to provide support for the educational and historical work of the Library and the School. Harry Middleton, who acted as Director of the Library, was invited to serve as Executive Director of the Foundation. Mr. Middleton served as Director of the Library from 1971 to 2002 and as Executive Director of the Foundation from 1973 to 2002. Harry Ransom was selected as the first President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. He was succeeded by Frank Erwin in 1971.
The LBJ Library & Museum is one of twelve presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. In accordance with the wishes of President and Mrs. Johnson, the Library does not charge admission. Because of this mandate that the Library be open to everyone, it was the first presidential library to simultaneously establish a foundation to provide financial support for its programs and services. Since its inception, The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation has served as a model that has been emulated by other presidential libraries.
Today, under the leadership of our Chairman, Larry Temple; Vice Chairmen Ben Barnes and Lyndon Olson; and President, Elizabeth Christian, The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation continues to support the many and diverse programs and activities of the LBJ Library & Museum and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.