Staten Island Mourns Just Like The Rest Of The Nation

A Lady Bird Johnson local angle? It’ll be difficult but we’ll see what we can come up with:

Though she was overshadowed in recent history by first ladies Jackie Kennedy, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton, Lady Bird Johnson’s quiet activism and devotion to her husband, President Lyndon B. Johnson, left a lasting impression on Staten Island and the nation.

Following her death on Wednesday at age 94, several Islanders praised Mrs. Johnson for the influence she had on the environmental movement, her role in the evolution of women in politics and the way she comported herself and supported her husband during tumultuous times in Washington, D.C.

While Mrs. Johnson didn’t visit the borough during her lifetime, she had a deep impact on more than one Islander.

“I knew her very well,” said former Democratic Rep. John Murphy. “She was a lovely lady.”

. . .

Ellen Pratt, second vice president of Blue Heron Park and an assistant corresponding secretary of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, remembers Lady Bird Johnson as a strong woman who helped open the door for women in politics.

“She took a very active role in the presidency of her husband; she had a big hand in the evolution of the role of the first lady,” said Ms. Pratt. “She was a peacemaker. She helped her husband to function.”