In April, the country marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law. Four living president's spoke about President Johnson's legacy and his time in office.

In a ceremony, current President Barack Obama spoke about President Johnson's record on civil rights proposals, saying:

    "During his first 20 years in Congress, he opposed every civil rights bill that came up for a vote, once calling the push for federal legislation a farce and a shame."

PolitiFact rated this claim for truthfulness. Reporter Joshua Gillin said the claim is TRUE.

"Lyndon Johnson came from rural Texas and back in his day, Democrats were really split between the South and the North," Gillin said. "When he started in the House of Representatives and then later the Senate, from 1937 to 1957, he voted against every single piece of civil rights legislation from desegregating the military to doing away with the poll tax."

President Johnson initially won election to the U.S. House in 1937 according to Johnsons's biography. He advanced to the Senate in the November 1948 election, later becoming Majority Leader. As Johnson became president in 1963, some civil rights leaders weren't convinced of Johnson's good faith in civil rights issues based on his voting record.

An expert in the offices of the U.S. Senate also checked Johnson's votes on civil rights measures as a lawmaker. An associate historian found that in cases where those bills came from a roll call vote, it appears that Johnson consistently voted against them or voted to stop consideration.

SOURCES: PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S VOTING RECORD ON CIVIL RIGHTS

  • PolitiFact's ruling
  • Interview excerpts, "Last Word: Author Robert Caro on LBJ," Library of Congress blog, Feb. 15, 2013
  • Email, Eric Schultz, deputy press secretary, White House, April 10, 2014
  • Book, Means of Ascent,  "Introduction," p. xvii, Robert A. Caro, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1990
  • Email, Betty K. Koed, associate historian, U.S. Senate, April 11, 2014