Texas State receives gift of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Stetson hat

Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th president of the United States, famously wore a Stetson Open Road Royal Deluxe Silverbelly cowboy hat during his years in office. Now, visitors to Texas State University can see the actual hat the late president was so fond of. 

Kevin Moomaw, a longtime Texas political consultant, donated the late president’s Stetson to the LBJ Student Center at TXST for permanent display. Former Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst initially gave Moomaw the hat with the mandate to find an appropriate home for it.

“It is an honor for us to receive this Stetson that belonged to President Johnson—our most distinguished alumnus,” said Brooks Hull, vice president for University Advancement. “We are grateful to Kevin Moomaw and former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for entrusting Texas State with this piece of Texas history.”

Lyndon B. Johnson wearing a Stetson. (Photo by Frank Wolfe. Courtesy LBJ Library and Museum)

President Johnson was known for his love of Stetson hats, a brand that has been synonymous with the American West since the mid-1800s. Johnson’s choice of Stetson hats reflected his Texas heritage.

TXST is the only Texas university to claim a U.S. president as an alumnus. Johnson began his studies in San Marcos in 1927, graduating in 1930 with a bachelor of science in history with a teaching certificate. As president, Johnson returned to San Marcos to speak at important community and campus events on several occasions. He established the Gary Job Corps in San Marcos, transferred the Federal Fish Hatchery property to the university and signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 on the TXST campus. In 1982 the university launched the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series to honor Johnson’s legacy and advance his plans to invite the world’s most exceptional voices to his alma mater.