Sam Rayburn ameriški politik

Sam Rayburn, v celoti Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn, (rojen 6. januarja 1882, okrožje Roane, Tenn., ZDA - umrl 16. novembra 1961, Bonham, Teksas), ameriški politični vodja, ki je bil govornik ameriškega doma Predstavniki skoraj 17 let. V parlament je bil prvič izvoljen leta 1912 in je tam neprekinjeno služil 48 let 8 mesecev, kar je bilo v času njegove smrti rekordna doba. V kongres je bil izvoljen 25-krat zapored. V njegov spomin se je imenovala poslovna stavba kongresne stavbe Rayburn House, stavba kongresa.

Kviz

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Današnji diamant upanja je manjši od preteklih stoletij.

Življenje

Družina Rayburn, pretežno škotskega porekla, se je leta 1887 iz Tennesseeja preselila v Teksas in tam je Rayburn odraščal na kmetiji s 40 hektarji. Skozi vzhodno Teksaški normalni kolidž (zdaj Teksaška univerza A&M — trgovina) je poučeval v šoli in postal pravnik. Šest let (1907–13) je bil v teksaškem predstavniškem domu in leta 1911 izvoljen za govornika. Naslednje leto je bil izvoljen v ameriški kongres, kjer je ostal skoraj pol stoletja.

Energičen, marljiv, ambiciozen in prijazen je Rayburn hitro postal vpliven za kulisami v vladi in strankarski politiki. Kot predsednik (1931–37) močnega domačega odbora za meddržavno in zunanjo trgovino je bil glavni arhitekt New Deal. Kot član predstavniškega doma je bil soavtor šestih pomembnih zakonov - zakona o železniškem prometu v nujnih primerih, zakona o resnični vrednostni papirji, zakona o borzi, zveznega zakona o komunikacijah, zakona o elektrifikaciji podeželja in enega vseh najbolj zaostrenih zakonov New Deal, Zakon o javnih komunalnih podjetjih.

Rayburn was elected Democratic leader of the House of Representatives in 1937 and became speaker of the House on Sept. 16, 1940. He held the latter office for almost 17 years, exceeding by a wide margin the previous record set by Kentucky statesman Henry Clay in the first quarter of the 19th century. Noted for his tart common sense, his honesty, and his unflagging patriotism, Rayburn was a trusted adviser to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy. A dedicated party man who described himself as a Democrat “without prefix, without suffix, and without apology,” Rayburn was often called “Mr. Democrat.” He was permanent chairman of the Democratic National Convention in 1948, 1952, and 1956. After he won the battle in 1961 to enlarge the House Committee on Rules—the hardest internal House struggle in 50 years—Rayburn’s health failed quickly. Before Congress adjourned that year, he went home to Bonham, Texas, where he died.

Legacy

At the time of his death, Rayburn was regarded as an extraordinarily able legislator who had gone on to become the most effective speaker of the House since Joe Cannon was divested of his power in 1910. That assessment of Rayburn did not change in the decades following his death. His pivotal role in the House as a broker between the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic Party, however, was later better understood and appreciated. During Rayburn’s tenure, power in the House was lodged in the hands of committee chairs who gained their positions through seniority. Because the American South still was overwhelmingly Democratic and the Republican Party was not competitive there, Southern Democrats in the House—with their seniority and their control over chairs of committees—tended to have great power. Northern Democrats tended to be more liberal than their Southern counterparts, but their lack of seniority and committee chairs diminished their influence in the House. Rayburn brokered the interests of both wings of the Democratic Party.

Although the office of speaker at that time lacked great formal powers, Rayburn used the limited influence of the office to maximum advantage. He also relied heavily on his personal prestige, his skill at persuasion, and personal friendships built up over decades in the House to bridge the regional differences within the Democratic Party and to forge a working majority in the House. His leadership style usually resulted in congenial relations not only between the Northern and Southern wings of the Democratic Party but also between Rayburn and the Republican leadership of the House—a considerable accomplishment, especially when viewed in the light of the divisive House of Representatives in the early 21st century.