LBJ’s Unconventional Swearing-In was Never Given a Historical Marker. Here’s Why

Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into presidential office on Air Force One on the Dallas Love Field tarmac.

By Laura RiceOctober 21, 2016 1:16 pm,

The image is indelible. You can probably conjure it up in your head right now. The black and white photo of Lyndon Baines Johnson taking the oath of the office of the U.S. presidency on a packed Air Force One. Jackie Kennedy, whose husband had just been fatally shot, stands bravely at his side.

The moment – though certainly a tragic one – is an important one in American history. It happened as the plane was parked on the Dallas Love Field tarmac. But visitors to the airport see no sign of it, despite multiple efforts to place historical markers or memorials.

Jason Whitley, a senior reporter at WFAA Dallas and host of “Inside Texas Politics”, uncovered the story of these mysteriously halted plans.

“The oath of office has only been given four times outside the nation’s capital since the founding of the country,” Whitley says. “This is the only place that has not publicly recognized it.”

What you will hear in this segment:

– Why there is no marker or memorial for this historic moment

– How difficult it has been to receive any word on why plans are halted

– What has been the reaction to this story