Sam Rayburn: A Speaker of Honest and Bold Intentions

Samuel Talifero Rayburn's reign in politics was one of honorable duty and immeasurable self-sacrifice. Unlike the brash volatile personalities of other Texas politicians, Sam Rayburn's force stemmed from his integrity, honorable character, and dedication to his service to the Fourth Congressional District. His role in a tumultuous era and his staunch support of New Deal legislation must not be forgotten.

Born in Roach County in Tennessee, Sam Rayburn's family moved to North Texas when he was just five years old. Sam Rayburn's boyhood aspiration was to become Speaker of the House. When he was 18, he enrolled in East Texas State — then E. L. Mayo's Normal School — and took various odd jobs to finance his college education. To pay for his senior year, he taught at a high school in Bonham, and he continued to teach at Bonham for two additional years after college.

In 1906 he won his first elected office in the Fourth Congressional District in the Texas House of Representatives. While he served in the Texas House, he pursued a Law degree at the University of Texas Law School in preparation for his ascent into Congress. Indeed, his stay in the Texas House would not last long. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1912. The first of his aspirations was achieved, but he knew he must accept the challenges ahead if that dream was to be realized.

For the next 38 years, Rayburn learned much about politics and our system of government. He learned early that it was more effective to persuade Congressmen through reason than threaten them. Not a man of grandiose speeches, Sam Rayburn did much of his political discussion in private with men of both parties. In 1940, Sam Rayburn was elected Speaker of the House.

An unconventional politician and leader, Rayburn understood leadership differently from most. He always said, "You cannot lead people by trying to drive them. Persuasion and reason are the only ways to lead them. In that way the Speaker has influence and power in the House." Unlike past Speakers, Sam Rayburn relied upon his close personal relationships he had established with both parties during his long tenure in the House. Also, his reputation for integrity, honesty, and fairness earned him respect from friends and enemies.

Although Rayburn had many close friends and associates, he had no family. He was married in a union lasting only a year. This lack of family did not seem to bother Rayburn, who was dedicated to public service. He spent his time in Washington at small events or parties, where he discussed politics with his colleagues. The Speaker lived in a two-bedroom apartment near DuPont Circle in Washington.

Most days Rayburn had breakfast sent to his apartment form a nearby french restaurant, yet he would insist on American style eggs, bacon, and orange juice. A strong believer in physical education, he was a firm believer in walks. In his early days, he walked from his apartment to the Capitol, and when he developed back problems he took a limousine in the mornings. Even then, however, he always made time to take his daily stroll, usually on the capitol grounds, and no matter how busy his schedule.

Early in his life, Sam Rayburn did not attend church service often nor did he associate with any religious denomination. Later in life, though, he joined the Primitive Baptist Church, the church to which his father belonged. The Primitive Baptist Church was a fundamentalist sect without ties to the larger Baptist organization and church. In 1956, at the age of 74, he was baptized by a Primitive Baptist minister in Tioga, Texas.

Although he had no family of his own, Sam Rayburn commonly enjoyed and entertained his family. He was closest to his brothers, sisters, nephew, and nieces. If any of the Rayburns came to Washington, Sam Rayburn would insist that they sleep in his room. Even with chronic back pain in his elder years, Sam Rayburn would not let his guests stay on the couch, When aides asked him to let his relatives to sleep on the couch he would lash out a series of expletives, ending the debate over the issue.

He spent many of his afternoons in a hideaway on the Capitol Building's main floor. He and his compatriots would drink scotch and bourbon, and enjoy relaxed conversations. Harry Truman, a close personal friend and common visitor, was in the hideaway when FDR died and needed to assume his duties as president.

At times of recess, Rayburn would return to the spacious white home in Bonham, Texas that he considered "prettier than Mount Vernon." His 250-acre farm and 900-acre ranch featured award-winning Hereford cattle and a White pillared house with 14 rocking chairs that awaited constituents and visiting Congressmen.

Sam Rayburn's personality and character will always be remembered, but his role during the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Fair Deal must be recognized From 1931 to 1937, Rayburn was the Chairman of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. As Chairman of these Committees, he sponsored andmanaged the majority of the New Deal Legislation. Some of the most controversial bills of the New Deal came under his management: the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities & Exchange Act of 1934, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. His support allowed easy passage, making it harder for the Supreme Court to deny their constitutionality.

Although he staunchly supported the New Deal legislation, Rayburn occasionally opposed or excused himself from legislation that interfered with his duty to represent the Fourth Congressional District. He even opposed his close friend and ally President Truman in his support of legislation that would provide relief to the oil and gas industry in Texas. President Truman eventually vetoed the bill. These disagreements never hurt their friendship; both men understood them as the unfortunate result of their respective job descriptions. Sam Rayburn had to represent his district first, and Truman had to do what he thought best for the entire country.

Rayburn's incredible career never remained stagnant, and he continued to serve his country and the House of Representatives until his death. In the spring of 1961, Rayburn began to exhibit signs of illness, such as weight loss and loss of his voracious appetite. It was publicly disclosed that Rayburn had known of his cancer since September 27, 1961, but neither his workload nor work ethic diminished. In fact, he only left his chair unoccupied twice that year, and he insisted upon increased workloads, demanding that he run the Kennedy New Frontier program. On October 5th, Rayburn checked into Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, and discovered he had inoperable pancreatic cancer. The cancer had spread throughout his whole body and death was imminent. He was taken to a 15-bed hospital in Risser, Texas.

Faced with this news, he told his friends, family, and colleagues not to send flowers, but to send money to the Rayburn Foundation to support the Rayburn Library. Rayburn spent his last days in bed, surrounded by his brother and sister, and on November 16th, he succumbed to pancreatic cancer.

To many of the political giants of the time, Sam Rayburn's death was a tragic day for America. Upon hearing the news of his death, President John F. Kennedy said Rayburn was a "devoted servant and an unflinching friend." His funeral disrupted the political landscape, and caused Kennedy to cancel his Western trip and Vice-President Johnson, a fellow Texan thought as a son to Rayburn, to immediately drop his duties and fly by helicopter to Bonham to grieve with the Rayburn family. Rayburn, as a man of public service, might have disagreed with the President's and Vice-President's decisions to cancel their public obligations and duties on his behalf.

At the end of his life, Sam Rayburn had little regret for the life he lived for 79 years. In reflection, he once said, "I am one man in public life who is satisfied, who has achieved every ambition of his youth." He loved his service in the House and as Speaker, and scowled upon anyone who called it an inferior office: "I'd rather be the Speaker of the House than any ten Senators." Sam Rayburn was proud to be a Democrat and often said, "I always say without prefix, without suffix, and without apology that I am a Democrat."