Biography child rayburn samuel smith

He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time House minority leader, and a term congressman, representing Texas's 4th congressional district as a Democrat from to He holds the record for the longest tenure as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives , serving for over 17 years among his three separate stints.

Sam Rayburn was an

After a period as a school teacher, Rayburn won election to the Texas House of Representatives and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law. He won election to the United States House of Representatives in and continuously won re-election until his death in , serving a total of 25 terms. Rayburn was elected House Majority Leader in and was elevated to the position of Speaker of the House after the death of William B.

He led the House Democrats from to , and served as Speaker of the House from to , to , and to Rayburn also served twice as House Minority Leader to and to during 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, Rayburn refused to sign the Southern Manifesto and helped shepherd the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of and , the first civil rights bills passed by the U. Congress since the Reconstruction Era — Rayburn was also influential in the construction of U. Route He served as Speaker until his death in , and was succeeded by John W.

He is the most recent Speaker of the House to die in office. Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee , on January 6,