Paternity suit and subsequent allegations: Child with LBJ Madeleine Duncan Brown

1 paternity suit , subsequent allegations: child lbj

1.1 paternity suit filed
1.2 interview people magazine
1.3 paternity suit dismissed

paternity suit , subsequent allegations: child lbj
paternity suit filed

on june 18, 1987, brown s second son, 36-year-old steven mark brown, filed $10.5 million lawsuit against lady bird johnson in texas district court alleging former first lady , 2 friends of president johnson, jesse kellam of austin , jerome t. ragsdale of dallas, had conspired deprive him of share of johnson estate. suit claimed: legal birthrights have been violated , conspiracy formed deprive me of legal heirship. suit included affidavit madeleine brown, alleging met president johnson in 1948 @ social function within dallas hotel, had affair him lasted 1948 until 1969. according affidavit, ragsdale, deceased dallas attorney, assigned assist legal issues regarding pregnancy , later claimed child s father in order shield johnson negative publicity. betty tilson, press secretary lady bird johnson, quoted stating: re convinced whole thing made-up, frankly. tilson indicated close associates of johnson family not familiar name steven mark brown nor there record of correspondence or visitation him within lyndon baines johnson library , museum. stated no 1 talked knew ragsdale.

interview people magazine

the august 5, 1987 issue of people magazine detailed additional claims made madeleine , steven brown.

in 1940s, johnsons owned radio station in austin, ktbc, run jesse kellam. madeleine brown claimed attended ktbc reception in 1948 while working dallas advertising agency , introduced johnson through kellam. reported johnson flirted during initial encounter , dazzled him. according brown, kellam asked reception 3 weeks later @ adolphus hotel. @ meeting, said, long affair johnson began after invited apartment in hotel. brown said johnson insisted affair kept secret, , alleged kellam functioned go-between arranged johnson , meet. people magazine reported claimed relationship johnson purely physical , had discovered had other mistresses. according brown, told johnson in april 1950 pregnant , assured provide needs. claimed kellam told few days later contacted attorney jerome ragsdale. brown alleged after birth of steven in 1950, ragsdale provided six-room house $15,000, complete live-in maid , , paid various charge cards supplied her. said physician told note husband, james glynn brown, father.

according brown, continued meet johnson throughout 1950s , 1960s. told people 5 years, @ kellam s urging, had paper marriage dallas businessman whom never lived. said years after divorced, told friend man had committed suicide. according brown, on way see johnson in austin when heard assassination of kennedy on radio, turned around. said few weeks later kellam instructed meet new president of united states in usual place. brown told people sexual relationship johnson abruptly ended in 1967 after badly injured in car accident in son, steven, @ wheel. said had 1 last meeting johnson in 1969 @ shamrock hotel in houston, texas, in had two-hour discussion described first real conversation . brown said in 1973 kellam telephoned johnson had died.

brown stated hospitalized after suffering heart attack in february 1987 and, expecting die, called steven bedside in order confess hiding true identity of father him. according people, despite name of mother s first husband on birth certificate, steven had been wracked uncertainty true father , had come suspect lawyer friend of family father . steven s mother said had no love letters johnson , few people corroborate story dead. according brown, came forward paternity claim assist steven in claiming inheritance. discussing purpose of lawsuit, steven said: in public forum, sooner or later truth comes out. s s important me. want last name changed johnson, way ought be. maintained wanted money former first lady in order provide 2 nephews.

shortly after interview, entertainment writer harry haun said brown s claims in people stirred such hornet s nest of book publishers , movie producers woman indeed write book . haun wrote literary agent scott meredith had been enlisted handle book , film rights.

paternity suit dismissed

in 1989, steven brown s suit against lady bird johnson dismissed after failed show in court. died in 1990, @ age 39, lymphatic cancer.

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