The Presidential Veto 1961 to 1969: Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson

Background

One main principle of the U.S. Constitution is the separation of powers. Each branch of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) can serve as a check on the other, preventing excessive power in any one branch. The Presidential Veto is an example of separation of powers. The President must sign laws passed by Congress. If the President vetoes the bill (does not sign it into law), it takes a two-thirds (67%) vote in both the House and Senate to override the President and pass the bill.

John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Vetoes

Veto activity declined during the 1960s. In the 1950s, Republican President Eisenhower faced a Democratic Congress. You could expect the opposition party to pass bills opposed by the President. In contrast, both JFK and LBJ were Democrats, and the Democrats had large majorities in Congress during the 1960s. The composition of Congress during their terms:

In total, JFK and LBJ vetoed 51 bills over the eight years of their Presidencies. None were overridden by Congress. In comparison, Eisenhower, over a similar eight-year period, vetoed 181 bills.

Most of the vetoes were over relatively minor affairs. A few showed concern about the overall Federal budget, however quaint that sounds today.

JFK vetoed a bill increasing postal worker pay, stating "…budgetary needs are too urgent to permit approval of this measure unattended by revenue increases, at this time."

And LBJ vetoed a bill that limited his ability to close military bases. Congressional members might have supported base closings in general, but not in their district. They are a form of pork-barrel spending. LBJ's veto message included this statement: "…the American people are entitled to a dollar's worth of defense for every dollar spent. The base closure program is a vital element in effecting important economies within the military establishment."

In another case, LBJ vetoed a bill that increased life insurance coverage for government employees. His reasoning: "I am returning this bill because it places too heavy a burden and levies too heavy a charge on the American taxpayer by providing private insurance out of public funds."

"Landslide Lyndon"

Here is an unrelated story about Lyndon Johnson. I thought it interesting given the current discussions about election integrity.

LBJ first ran for Senator from Texas in 1948. In a three-way primary, he trailed former governor Coke Stevenson by over 70,000 votes. A runoff between Johnson and Stevenson was needed since no one had one 50% of the vote.  On the runoff election day, LBJ's opponent, Stevenson, led by under 150 votes out of the 1 million votes that had been cast. Five days later, Jim Wells County amended its return. 202 additional ballots had been "found," hidden away in Box #13 from the town of Alice. 200 of the 202 had voted for Johnson.  By a miraculous coincidence, each had signed their names in alphabetical order, in the same penmanship, each apparently using the same pen. A Federal court ordered Johnson's name off the ballot pending the results of an investigation. But the matter was settled in Johnson's favor when Associate Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black voided the order on the urging of Johnson lawyer, Abe Fortas. (Purely coincidentally, I'm sure, the very same Abe Fortas would himself be appointed to the Supreme Court by then-President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Justice Fortas then resigned in 1969 over ethics concerns.)

LBJ had "won" his primary by 87 votes and thereafter became known as "Landslide Lyndon."

A legendary tale attributed to Johnson claims that, in the days following the election, Johnson and the political bosses were going through cemeteries and taking names of dead people off of tombstones to register as voters. They could not decipher one of the names and asked LBJ what to do. Johnson provided a name saying that he's got as much right to vote as the rest of them in this cemetery do.

Next article: Democratic Congress / Republican President – 1969 to 1977

When we look at President Nixon and Ford in future articles, as Republican Presidents facing Democratic Congresses, both the number of vetoes and veto overrides were significantly higher. 

Click for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8 of this series)