Sam Rayburn(1882-1961)
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn was the last great Speaker of the House of
Representatives, a man who exercised great power in his three terms as
Speaker (1940-1947; 1949-1953; and 1955-1961). When Mr. Sam was
Speaker, Congress was not afraid to legislate on major issues, and the
"Imperial Presidency" that evolved during the Cold War was not as
strongly rooted.
Sam Rayburn served as a Congressman from Texas for 48 years, after
first being elected in 1912. He served in Congress under Presidents
William Howard Taft (back when the
president was inaugurated on March 4th) through
John F. Kennedy. Born into poverty,
Rayburn champion the interests of the disenfranchised in office. He
became a close friend of and mentor to LBJ, a former Congressman whose
rapid rise in the Senate was due to Rayburn's clout. (Rayburn and LBJ's
father Sam Ealy Johnson has served together in the Texas State
Legislature). Rayburn was a life-long bachelor except for a brief
marriage to the sister of a fellow Congressman. (The marriage likely
was derailed by Rayburn being a workaholic and because of his
well-known fondness for the bottle.) Mr. Sam was quite enchanted by
LBJ's wife, Lady Bird Johnson, and
often dined with the Johnsons.
Sam Rayburn died of cancer on November 16, 1961, in the middle of his
25th term, at the age of 79. His funeral was attended by President
Kennedy, Vice President Johnson, and former Presidents
Harry S. Truman and
Dwight D. Eisenhower, a sign of the
great esteem in which he was held. His presence was sorely missed, as
he was a master of working behind the scenes to craft and pass
legislation. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal,
the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the U.S. Congress.
Representatives, a man who exercised great power in his three terms as
Speaker (1940-1947; 1949-1953; and 1955-1961). When Mr. Sam was
Speaker, Congress was not afraid to legislate on major issues, and the
"Imperial Presidency" that evolved during the Cold War was not as
strongly rooted.
Sam Rayburn served as a Congressman from Texas for 48 years, after
first being elected in 1912. He served in Congress under Presidents
William Howard Taft (back when the
president was inaugurated on March 4th) through
John F. Kennedy. Born into poverty,
Rayburn champion the interests of the disenfranchised in office. He
became a close friend of and mentor to LBJ, a former Congressman whose
rapid rise in the Senate was due to Rayburn's clout. (Rayburn and LBJ's
father Sam Ealy Johnson has served together in the Texas State
Legislature). Rayburn was a life-long bachelor except for a brief
marriage to the sister of a fellow Congressman. (The marriage likely
was derailed by Rayburn being a workaholic and because of his
well-known fondness for the bottle.) Mr. Sam was quite enchanted by
LBJ's wife, Lady Bird Johnson, and
often dined with the Johnsons.
Sam Rayburn died of cancer on November 16, 1961, in the middle of his
25th term, at the age of 79. His funeral was attended by President
Kennedy, Vice President Johnson, and former Presidents
Harry S. Truman and
Dwight D. Eisenhower, a sign of the
great esteem in which he was held. His presence was sorely missed, as
he was a master of working behind the scenes to craft and pass
legislation. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal,
the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the U.S. Congress.