In 1963 , Thomas was seriously considering not running for a fifteenth term . Local Democrats organized an appreciation dinner on November 21 , 1963 , with over 3200 attendees to persuade him to run for another term . The most visible attendees were President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson who both spoke of Thomas 's leadership . Kennedy said , " Next month , when the United States of America fires the largest booster in the history of the world into space for the first time , giving us the lead , fires the largest , payroll -- payload -- into space , giving us the lead . " here the President paused a second and grinned . " It '' will '' be the largest payroll , too , " he quipped . The crowd roared . " And who should know that better than Houston . We put a little of it right in here . " The President then resumed in a more serious vein , " But in any case , the United States next month will have a leadership in space which it would n't have without Albert Thomas . And so will this city . " Thomas accompanied the Presidential party as it traveled to Dallas , where the next day President Kennedy was assassinated . He witnessed the swearing in of President Lyndon Baines Johnson on Air Force One
assassinated
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Albert Richard Thomas