ABSTRACT
The ascendancy of Lyndon Johnson to the White House proved to be a boon to Western hat manufacturers. Not only did the President wear a stylish "five-gallon" hat, but his practice of giving them to favored guests caused quite a stir within Washington, DC society. The President was known to keep approximately 30 different sized hats on hand for purposes of giving away. Costing him 20 dollars apiece, his five-gallons differed from the "store boughten" ones in one notable respect. The bona fide LB Js had a small gold-colored map of Texas on the inside silk lining with the words "Johnson City" and, in the President's own handwriting, "LBJ Ranch". A white star inside a lariat loop highlighted the location within the state. Whereas only "drugstore cowboys" wore Western hats prior to the LBJ White House, according to Byer-Rolnick vice president Kenneth L. Topletz, the style began winning many new converts in 1964.
