Sam Rayburn político estadounidense

Sam Rayburn, en su totalidad Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn, (nacido el 6 de enero de 1882, condado de Roane, Tenn., EE. UU., Fallecido el 16 de noviembre de 1961, Bonham, Texas), líder político estadounidense, que se desempeñó como presidente de la Cámara de Representantes de los EE. UU. Representantes por casi 17 años. Fue elegido por primera vez a la Cámara en 1912 y sirvió allí de forma continua durante 48 años y 8 meses, lo que en el momento de su muerte fue un cargo récord. Fue elegido para el Congreso 25 veces consecutivas. El edificio de oficinas Rayburn House, un edificio de oficinas del Congreso en Capitol Hill, fue nombrado en su memoria.

Examen

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Vida

La familia de Rayburn, de origen predominantemente escocés, se mudó de Tennessee a Texas en 1887, y allí Rayburn creció en una granja de 40 acres. Trabajó en el East Texas Normal College (ahora Texas A&M University-Commerce), enseñó en la escuela y se convirtió en abogado. Sirvió en la Cámara de Representantes de Texas durante seis años (1907–13) y en 1911 fue elegido orador. Al año siguiente fue elegido para el Congreso de los Estados Unidos, donde permaneció durante casi medio siglo.

Enérgico, estudioso, ambicioso y afable, Rayburn rápidamente se hizo influyente detrás de escena en el gobierno y en la política de partidos. Como presidente (1931–37) del poderoso Comité de la Cámara de Comercio Interestatal y Exterior, fue uno de los principales arquitectos del New Deal. Como miembro de la Cámara de Representantes, fue coautor de seis leyes importantes: la Ley de Transporte Ferroviario de Emergencia, la Ley de "Verdad en Valores", la Ley de la Bolsa de Valores, la Ley Federal de Comunicaciones, la Ley de Electrificación Rural, y una de las leyes de New Deal más disputadas, la Ley de la Compañía de Servicios Públicos.

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.