President Lyndon Johnson sitting on a porch swing at his home in Johnson City with wife Claudia (Lady Bird) on the morning following his landslide election win.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Image
Lyndon B. Johnson’s first year as president was one for the history books: it began with President Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, and ended almost exactly a year later with Johnson’s reelection to the White House, in a major victory over controversial Republican candidate Barry Goldwater.
That year is the subject of All the Way, premiering on Saturday night on HBO and starring Bryan Cranston as LBJ. LIFE Magazine was tracking the real thing as it was happening; that reelection was the subject of a Nov. 13, 1964 cover story about the “Mighty Landslide.” And, though the published issue would only include a couple of shots of the President and his family at their Texas ranch, LIFE’s photographer John Dominis captured the whole run-up to Johnson’s learning that he had won handily—and how he celebrated.
Despite the eventual results and Johnson’s well-founded confidence, it was clear that the President wouldn’t consider the victory his until the results were official. And even then, one of American history’s biggest landslides wasn’t entirely satisfying.
“He wants,” a friend told LIFE before the results came in, “to make it unanimous.”
LIFE magazine, November 13, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPresident Lyndon Johnson sitting on a porch swing at his home in Johnson City with wife Claudia (Lady Bird) on the morning following his landslide election win.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLady Bird Johnson and daughter Luci on election eve, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageElection night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLyndon B. Johnson and wife Lady Bird on election night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLyndon B. Johnson on election night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLyndon B. Johnson on election night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLyndon B. Johnson on election night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageElection night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageLyndon B. Johnson and wife Lady Bird on election night, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageCaption from LIFE. Touch of Texas. A raucous rally greeted the President's election eve homecoming in Austin. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImageCaption from LIFE. Taking the reins. At the LBJ ranch, the President and vice president-elect saddle up. Johnson outfitted Humphrey with cowboy clothes and then mounted him on a frisky quarter horse, El Rey, while he rode his Tennessee walker, Lady B. Then they went out to round up cattle. Humphrey was game but not expert.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Image(L-R) VP Hubert Humphrey, Texas governor John Connally and President Lyndon Johnson on Johnson's ranch morning after he and Humphrey won the national election. 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagePresident. Lyndon Johnson and VP Hubert Humphrey the morning after winning election. 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Image
