Sam Rayburn

Sam Rayburn was once married to Metze Jones, sister of Texas Congressman Marvin Jones and Rayburn's colleague. The marriage was however very short lived and soon ended in divorce. He never married again nor had children. Not having a son was one of the biggest regrets in his life.

He suffered from cancer during his later years and died on November 16, 1961, aged 79.

Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn was born on January 6, 1882, in Tennessee. He moved along with his family to a 40-acre cotton farm in Flag Springs, Texas. He had ten siblings, and everyone in the family worked on the farm to make it profitable.

Young Sam became interested in politics as a little boy and would often dream of giving political speeches as he worked in the family farm. He decided to pursue a career in law and politics when he was just eight and never looked back.

He enrolled at the East Texas Normal College (now Texas A&M University–Commerce) after completing his schooling and received his bachelor’s degree in 1903.

He taught at school for some time and joined the Texas House of Representatives in 1907. During this time he also attended classes at the University of Texas at Austin and in 1908 passed the Texas bar examination.

He was re-elected for two more terms in the Texas House of Representatives and was elected the Speaker of the House in 1912 during his third term. That same year, he was also elected to serve as a Democratic Representative to the United States House of Representatives, marking the beginning of a long and productive career of continuous service in Washington, D. C for over 48 years.

In 1931 he was elected the chairman of the powerful House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, a position he held until 1937. As the holder of such a powerful political position, he played a major role in the New Deal and supported the majority of New Deal legislation proposed by the Roosevelt administration.

He was instrumental in the passage of the Truth in Securities Act, which established the Securities and Exchange Commission, and participated in the creation of the Federal Communications Commission, as well as the passage of the Public Utilities Holding Company Act, and the Emergency Railroad Transportation Act. He also worked with Senator George W. Norris in sponsoring the Rural Electrification Act (REA) which was designed to provide electricity to rural areas.

In 1940, while Rayburn was serving as Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House William Bankhead died suddenly. Rayburn succeeded him as the speaker, and was the leader of the House Democrats for the next 21 years.

Sam Rayburn served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for 17 years, the longest tenure in U.S. history. A proud Democrat, he was one of the only six people to serve more than one non-consecutive term. As the Speaker he served as a trusted advisor to several presidents and was known for his high moral standards.