Lyndon B. Johnson 1968 Typed Letter Signed as President - Just After Announcing He Would Not Run For Re-Election

36th President. Typed letter signed “Lyndon B. Johnson” AS PRESIDENT, April 11, 1968, The White House Washington stationery, to Dorothye Scott as Administrative Assistant to Secretary of the Senate, in full:

Juanita showed me the letter you wrote her. I want you to know how much I appreciate it.

You have been such a dear friend to me for so many years that I know I can count on you to stand behind me now, just like in our Senate days.

Thank you for your prayers, and for your good heart.

Mailing fold, light toning.

Dorothye Scott joined Senate staff as an administrative assistant to the Democratic Party secretary in 1945. Scott later worked for two secretaries of the Senate, providing support to the Senate’s chief administrative officer. In these positions, Scott worked closely with many of the colorful figures and power brokers of the era, including Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson.

On March 31, 1968, President Johnson shocked the nation when he announced he would not seeking the nomination for re-election as President. This letter clearly alludes to that famous announcement - a Presidential rarity!

Also of historical note, on April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This was just a week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.