January 6, 1955. It was on the occasion of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s third annual State of the Union message. The president unexpectedly began his speech by mentioning that it was January 6 and the 72nd birthday of the venerable Speaker of the House, and publicly wishing for Mr. Rayburn many happy returns of the day.
Instantly, the crowd that filled the House chamber was on its feet, noisily cheering, whistling, and stamping its feet and clapping its hands in a reverberating approval of the Speaker. Visitors in the galleries could not distinguish Republican from Democrat. - Speaker Jim Wright
Prepared on the seventy-fifth anniversary of his election as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, this collection includes valedictory thoughts about Mr. Rayburn by two of the most significant leaders of Fort Worth history—Speaker Jim Wright and Dee J. Kelly—as well as essays by academics about Mr. Rayburn’s lasting impact on his district, on major legislation, and on Texas. Taken together, this readable collection offers an assessment of Rayburn that gives readers an understanding of the man who may be the greatest legislator in US history.
James W. Riddlesperger Jr is professor of political science at TCU.
Anthony Champagne is professor of political science at the University of Texas at Dallas.
