AUSTIN (March 20, 2010)--Liz Carpenter, an author and former press secretary to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson died Saturday in Austin at 89.

Carpenter died at University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin, her daughter Christy Carpenter told The Associated Press.

She was suffering from pneumonia.

Before her career led her to the White House as executive assistant to Lyndon Johnson when he was vice president, she covered Congress and the White House for the Austin American-Statesman.

Carpenter was Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary from 1963 to 1969, including the years Johnson was first lady.

She was in Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 and drafted the words that Lyndon Johnson spoke on his return to Washington; “This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God's.”

She continued to work in Washington after Johnson left the White House, but returned to Texas in 1976.

She was in demand as a public speaker and was a prolific author whose books include the bestseller “Ruffles and Flourishes” about her days in the White House.

In 1975 she was named a distinguished graduate of the University of Texas and in 1990 a distinguished alumnae of UT’s Department of Communications.

Gov. Mark White named her to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.

She was born Sept. 1, 1920 in Salado, graduated from the University of Texas and then worked for the American-Statesman for 18 years before joining Johnson’s staff in 1961.