On November 1, 1961, the U.S. Congress established the Houston Space Center, that was officially called the Manned Spacecraft Center, which became a new research facility for the National Aeronautics Space Administration.
As the space program under NASA was developing, in the 1960s, its leader was Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. As a native Texan, Johnson took a special interest in the space race and positioned his home state as a beneficiary. Johnson served as chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Council. This had previously been the role of the sitting president, as Dwight Eisenhower first served as the chair of the body when it was created in 1958. However, President John F. Kennedy appointed Johnson to the committee in 1961.
Eventually, on August 27, 1973, the Manned Spacecraft Center, of Houston, was renamed to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Author’s Note:
In Febuary 2018, Author Philip Andrew Hamilton visited the Johnson Space Center.
Hamilton Historical Records 