Walter Jenkins was a long time political aide to Lyndon Johnson (they worked together for 25 years from Johnson’s years in the Texas legislature, to the presidency). In that time they were friends too, with Jenkins close to Johnson’s wife Lady Bird.
But that ended just a month before the 1964 presidential election. Jenkins and another man were arrested on a disorderly conduct charge (code words for being caught by under cover cops for having sex).
The fine was only $50, which Jenkins quietly paid. But rumors began to circulate and an earlier incident from 1959 was uncovered. The Washington Star contacted the White House for comment. Although the White House attempted to convince the newspaper not to run the story, too many people knew about it.
This was an era when homosexual behavior was illegal and publicly condemned. And why hadn’t the FBI discovered this earlier?
J. Edgar Hoover later reported that security had not been compromised (blackmail has been always used as an excuse to not trust homosexuals with state secrets).
But Jenkins had to resign.
Barry Goldwater, Johnson’s Republican opponent, didn’t use this incident as a major campaign issue. But he occasional referred to it, including releasing bumper stickers and pins saying:
ALL THE WAY WITH LBJ, BUT DON’T GO NEAR THE YMCA
Johnson later said: “I couldn’t have been more shocked about Walter Jenkins if I’d heard that Lady Bird had tried to kill the Pope.”
The scandal was not noticed by the general public, and had no impact on the election.
Johnson’s Press Secretary George Reedy told an interviewer: “A great deal of the president’s difficulties can be traced to the fact that Walter had to leave. … All of history might have been different if it hadn’t been for that episode.”
After resigning, Jenkins and his wife returned to Texas where he became an accountant. He died from a stroke in 1985.
