Ed Miliband
British politician (born 1969)
Sam Rayburn
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
Sam Rayburn was a prominent American politician who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for over 17 years, spanning multiple terms. He was a Democrat from Texas and played a key role in shaping American politics during his long career in Congress.
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About the Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburnwas an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time House minority leader, and a 24-term congressman, representing Texas’s 4th congressional district as a Democrat from 1913 to 1961. He holds the record for the longest tenure as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving for over 17 yearsduring periods of Republican House control. He preferred to work quietly in the background and successfully used his power of persuasion and charisma to get his bills passed due to having to navigate the post-Joseph Cannon era when each individual committee chairman had immense power in the House.
Along with Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson and most of the Texan Representatives, Rayburn refused to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto and helped shepherd the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960, the first civil rights bills passed by the U.S. Congress since the Enforcement Acts and the Civil Rights Act of 1875 during Reconstruction (1865-1877). Rayburn was also influential in the construction of U.S. Route 66. He served as Speaker until his death in 1961, and was succeeded by John W. McCormack. He is the most recent Speaker of the House to die in office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sam Rayburn was an American politician who served as the 43rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time House minority leader, and a 24-term congressman representing Texas’s 4th congressional district as a Democrat from 1913 to 1961.
Sam Rayburn held the record for the longest tenure as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving for over 17 years in three separate tenures as Speaker.
In addition to his time as Speaker, Sam Rayburn also served as House Majority Leader in 1937 and twice as House Minority Leader during periods of Republican House control.
Sam Rayburn’s political career began when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives after working as a school teacher. He then went on to win election to the United States House of Representatives in 1912, where he served a total of 25 terms until his death in 1961.
Along with Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, Sam Rayburn refused to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto and helped shepherd the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960, which were the first civil rights bills passed by the U.S. Congress since the Reconstruction era.
Sam Rayburn was also influential in the construction of U.S. Route 66 and was a mentor to Lyndon B. Johnson, who later became President of the United States.
Sam Rayburn was born on January 6, 1882, in Roane County, Tennessee, and later moved with his family to Windom, Texas, in 1887.
14 Quotes by Sam Rayburn
- 1.
Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 2.
Son, always tell the truth. Then you’ll never have to remember what you said the last time.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 3.
I like power and I like to use it.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 4.
The real actor has a direct line to the collective heart.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 5.
No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 6.
A jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 7.
You’ll never get mixed up if you simply tell the truth. Then you don’t have to remember what you have said, and you never forget what you have said.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 8.
Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 9.
If you want to get along, go along.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 10.
If a man has common sense, he has all the sense there is.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 11.
A damn independent boy; independent as a hog on ice.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 12.
When you get too big a majority, you’re immediately in trouble.’
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 13.
Too many critics mistake the deliberations of the Congress for its decisions.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)
- 14.
You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.
Sam RayburnSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives (1955-1961), American politician (1882-1961)