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 Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn
N 33° 34.814 W 096° 11.649
14S E 760422 N 3719143
Served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for 17 years, and is widely regarded as the most effective Speaker of the House in American history.
Waymark Code: WMAW1
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/19/2006
Views: 48
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn was born on January 6, 1882 in Roane County, Tennessee. The Rayburn family moved to Fannin County Texas in 1887 and Sam grew up to become one of the most influential political leaders in the United States. He began his political career 1906 when he won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and was reelected in 1908 and 1910. On April 7, 1913, Mr. Sam as he was known took the oath of office as a member of the United States House of Representatives, beginning a career that would last for more than 48 years. During his long and distinguished career he served as Speaker of the House for 17-years. Sam Rayburn died of cancer on November 16, 1961 and is buried in Bonham, Texas
Today the residents of Bonham speak of “Mr. Sam” as if he still lived just down the road and are more than happy to direct you to his library, his nearby home, which is now a museum, and to the Willow Wild Cemetery where “Mr. Sam” rests.
Description:
He was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and graduated from Mayo College at Commerce, Texas. After a year teaching school, he won election to the Texas State Legislature. During his third two-year term in the Legislature, he was elected Speaker of the House at the age of 29. The next year, he won election to the United States House of Representatives in District 4. He went to Congress on 4 March 1913 at the beginning of Woodrow Wilson's administration and served without interruption for over 48 years. During this entire time, he never faced a Republican or other serious challenger for reelection. On 16 September 1940, at the age of 58, he became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. When his career as Speaker was interrupted during the sessions of 1947-1948 and 1953-1954 during Republican control of the House, Rayburn served as minority leader. He usually worked quietly in the background in the shaping of legislation. As Speaker, he won a reputation for being fair in his rulings and for forgetting politics when he handled the gavel. He had served as Speaker more than twice as long as any predecessor when he died of cancer in Bonham, Texas. His record for total service as Speaker has not yet been broken although Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill (D-Mass.) surpassed Rayburn's record for continuous amount of time as Speaker having served six uninterrupted terms to Rayburn's five. Rayburn was legendary for his honesty and integrity. He despised lobbyists and wouldn't accept anything from them. He would only say "I am not for sale" and walk away. In his years in Congress, Rayburn always insisted on paying his own expenses. When he died, his personal savings only totalled $10,000 and most of his holdings were in his family ranch. Rayburn is attributed to the phrase: "A jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one." Sam Rayburn died of cancer on November 16, 1961 in his hometown of Bonham, Texas and is buried in Bonham’s Willow Wild Cemetery.(Source: wikipedia.org)
Date of birth: 01/06/1882
Date of death: 11/16/1961
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - Dawn to Dusk
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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