Carpenter, Liz

Biography

Mary Elizabeth Sutherland "Liz" Carpenter (1920-2010), often called the “funniest woman in politics,” was a writer, feminist, former reporter, media advisor, speechwriter, political humorist, and public relations expert. She served Vice President Johnson as his executive assistant and Lady Bird Johnson as her press secretary as well as a Johnson family friend of longstanding. Mrs. Carpenter was the author of Ruffles and Flourishes, an account of her adventure as Lady Bird Johnson’s press secretary.  She visited Southwest Texas State University to deliver the 1992 LBJ Distinguished Lecture.

LBJ100 Oral History Project

In this interview at  Liz Carpenter reflects on her relationship with Lyndon Johnson and the years she spent working with him in the White House.