Master of the Senate

by Robert Caro · 2002

Master of the Senate, the third volume of Robert A. Caro’s monumental series The Years of Lyndon Johnson, chronicles Lyndon B. Johnson’s twelve‑year tenure (1949‑1960) in the United States Senate. Caro reveals how Johnson transformed a Senate that had become a passive body into a powerful legislative machine, mastering its rules, seniority system, and the competing interests of Southern conservatives and Northern liberals. The narrative details Johnson’s political tactics, his role in passing the first civil‑rights legislation since 1875, and the darker side of his ambition, including his dealings with oil interests. Richly researched, the book offers a definitive study of American legislative power and a vivid portrait of one of the most influential senators in U.S. history.