Sam Rayburn
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 1955 – November 16, 1961
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
Succeeded by	John William McCormack
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
Succeeded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
In office September 16, 1940 – January 3, 1947
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	William B. Bankhead
Succeeded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
House Minority Leader
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
Deputy	John William McCormack
Preceded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
Succeeded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Deputy	John William McCormack
Preceded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
Succeeded by	Joseph William Martin, Jr.
House Majority Leader
In office January 3, 1937 – September 16, 1940
Deputy	Patrick J. Boland
Preceded by	William B. Bankhead
Succeeded by	John William McCormack
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 4th district
In office March 4, 1913 – November 16, 1961
Preceded by	Choice B. Randell
Succeeded by	Ray Roberts
Personal details
Born	Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (1882-01-06)January 6, 1882 Kingston, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	November 16, 1961(1961-11-16) (aged 79) Bonham, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Texas A&M University–Commerce
Profession	Law
Religion	Primitive Baptist

Samuel Taliaferro "Sam" Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for 17 years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.

Background[link]

Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and was baptized by Elder H.G. Ball in the Primitive Baptist Church, also known as Old Line Baptist or Hard Shell Baptist Church. Rayburn graduated from Mayo College (now Texas A&M University-Commerce) in Commerce, which was located in northeast Texas. He attended the University of Texas School of Law while teaching school, and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1908. Just after being admitted to the bar, he won election to the Texas House of Representatives, beginning his first term in 1909. During his second two-year term in the Texas House, he was elected Speaker of the House at the age of twenty-nine. The next year, he won election to the United States House of Representatives in District 4. He entered Congress in 1913 at the beginning of Woodrow Wilson's presidency and served in office for almost 49 years (more than 24 terms), until the beginning of John F. Kennedy's presidency.

Personal life[link]

Rayburn had married once, to Metze Jones (1897–1982), sister of Texas Congressman Marvin Jones and Rayburn's colleague, but the marriage ended quickly. Biographer D.B. Hardeman guessed that Rayburn's work schedule and long bachelorhood, combined with the couple's differing views on alcohol, contributed to the rift. The court's divorce file in Bonham, Texas, has never been located, and Rayburn avoided speaking of his brief marriage. One of his greatest, most painful regrets was that he did not have a son, or as he put it in Master of the Senate, Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, "a towheaded boy to take fishing."

Rayburn died of pancreatic cancer in 1961 at the age of 79 and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. By the time of his death, he had served as Speaker for twice as long as any of his predecessors.

Speaker of the House[link]

A statue of Rayburn in the Rayburn House Office Building

On September 16, 1940 at the age of 58, and while serving as Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, Rayburn became Speaker of the House upon the sudden death of Speaker William Bankhead. Rayburn's career as Speaker was interrupted twice: 1947–1949 and 1953–1955, when Republicans controlled the House. During those periods of Republican rule, Rayburn served as Minority Leader. However, he so disliked the term "minority leader" that he asked to be referred to as the "Democratic Leader" during those interim four years when the office of Speaker was held by the Republican Joseph W. Martin, Jr. of Massachusetts, actually a close personal friend of Rayburn's.^[1]

Himself a protege of Vice President of the United States John Nance Garner, Rayburn was a close friend and mentor of Lyndon B. Johnson and knew Johnson's father Sam from their days in the Texas Legislature. Rayburn was instrumental to LBJ's ascent to power, particularly his unusual and rapid rise to the position of Minority Leader; Johnson had been in the Senate for a mere four years when he assumed the role. Johnson also owed his subsequent elevation to Majority Leader to Rayburn. Like Johnson, Rayburn did not sign the Southern Manifesto.^[2]

Also, as Speaker of the House, in the interest of the United States of America, Rayburn forged close friendships and partnerships with legislatures of emerging independent countries and democracies on the continent of Africa, especially Nigeria, a rising political power on that continent. Rayburn was a good friend of The Honorable Jaja Wachuku, who was the first indigenous Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, from 1959 to 1960.

Personal integrity[link]

Although many Texas legislators were on the payroll of public service corporations, Rayburn refused to do so. As he recounted in a speech during his congressional campaign:

"When I became a member of the law firm of Steger, Thurmond and Rayburn, Messrs. Thurmond and Steger were representing the Santa Fe Railroad Company, receiving pay monthly. When the first check came after I entered the firm, Mr. Thurmond brought to my desk one-third of the amount of the check, explaining what it was for. I said to him that I was a member of the Legislature, representing the people of Fannin County, and that my experience had taught me that men who represent the people should be as far removed as possible from concerns whose interests he was liable to be called on to legislate concerning, and that on that ground I would not accept a dollar of the railroad's money, though I was legally entitled to it. I never did take a dollar of it. I have been guided by the principle in all my dealings."^[3]

This practice of refusing to accept fees from clients who had interests before the Legislature was "virtually unheard-of" at the time.^[4] Later, while serving in Congress, a wealthy oil man had a very expensive horse delivered to Rayburn's farm in Bonham. No one apparently knew the oil man delivered the horse except him, Rayburn, and a Rayburn staffer. Rayburn returned the horse.^[5]

Legacy[link]

Sam Rayburn

In shaping legislation, Rayburn preferred working quietly in the background to being in the public spotlight. As Speaker, he won a reputation for fairness and integrity. In his years in Congress, Rayburn always insisted on paying his own expenses, even going so far as to pay for his own travel expenses when inspecting the Panama Canal when his committee was considering legislation concerning it, rather than exercising his right to have the government pay for it. When he died, his personal savings totaled only $15,000, and most of his holdings were in his family ranch.

Rayburn was well known among his colleagues for his after business hours "Board of Education" meetings in hideaway offices in the House. During these off-the-record sessions, the Speaker and powerful committee chairmen would gather for poker, bourbon, and a frank discussion of politics. Rayburn alone determined who received an invitation to these gatherings; to be invited to a "Board of Education" gathering was a high honor.

He coined the term "Sun Belt" while strongly supporting the construction of Route 66. It originally ran south from Chicago, through Oklahoma, and then turned westward from Texas to New Mexico and Arizona before ending at the beach in Santa Monica, California. Arguing in favor of the project, he stated famously that America absolutely must connect "the Frost Belt with the Sun Belt."

Rayburn also had a knack for dressing to suit his occasion. While in Washington, D.C., he would sport expensive suits, starched shirts, and perfectly shined shoes. However, while back in his poorer district in Texas, Rayburn would wear simple shirts, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats. Several politicians have imitated this pattern, including Ronald Reagan's famous example of clearing brush when at home in California, while wearing fine suits in Washington.

The phrase "A jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one," is attributed to Rayburn.^[6]

James Roosevelt, a U.S. representative from California and a son of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, once called Rayburn "the most impressive person in Congress." Rayburn had urged James not to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Representative Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., of New York, whom Rayburn considered not to have taken seriously his duties of office. Thomas Abernethy of Mississippi said that Rayburn was the most influential Speaker in history because he could "work with liberals and conservatives, ran the House with a firm hand but was generous."^[1] William Colmer, another Mississippian and the mentor of later Representative and U.S. Senator Trent Lott, described Rayburn as a "very strong parliamentarian" who was far more effective than his successor, John McCormack of Massachusetts, whom Colmer found "wanted to be liked" by his colleagues.^[1]

Speaker Rayburn is seated at right behind President John F. Kennedy in this May 25, 1961 photograph showing Kennedy announcing the Apollo program.

Asked why he never sought the presidency, Rayburn said that he was "born in the wrong place at the wrong time" to undertake a national campaign.^[1] Rayburn was Speaker at a time that the greater power in the House rested with committee chairmen. He was himself readily accessible to members; historian Anthony Champagne of the University of Texas at Dallas, a Rayburn scholar, views the Speaker as a "bridge between the northern and southern members" of the Democratic Party. Champagne recalled a report that Rayburn so understood the House that he was "married" to the body and could "feel the sentiment of the members" by merely being in their presence. He was careful to fight his own battles, Champagne said. Rayburn was a mentor to such younger members as Richard Bolling of Missouri, Wilbur D. Mills of Arkansas, Carl Albert of Oklahoma, and Homer Thornberry and Jack Brooks, both of Texas.^[1] He was also readily accessible to constituents, who were invited to come to his home in Bonham and visit without prior notice.^[1]

His home in Texas, now known as the Sam Rayburn House Museum, was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

Tributes[link]

Stamp issued by the United States Postal Service commemorating Sam Rayburn.

• The Rayburn House Office Building, which contains offices of House members adjacent to the United States Capitol.
• The ballistic missile submarine USS Sam Rayburn.
• The Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas was named after him in 1963, and is a popular destination for bass fishing and professional fishing tournaments.
• Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas, also bears his name and houses the desk he used as Speaker of the House.
• The Sam Rayburn Independent School District was named for him in 1964.
• A documentary tentatively titled "Rayburn: Mr. Speaker" is currently in production from filmmaker Reed Penney, according to a report by the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus newspaper The East Texan.
• Sam Rayburn Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M University-Commerce is named after Mr. Rayburn.
• Sam Rayburn Middle School in Bryan, Texas is named in his honor.
• Sam Rayburn Middle School in San Antonio, Texas was named in his honor.
• Sam Rayburn Parkway is a portion of U.S. Highway 75 that runs through Sherman, TX.
• Sam Rayburn Tollway is a toll road that goes through Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties in northeast Texas.^[7]
• Sam Rayburn Memorial Highway, roughly a forty mile section of Texas State Highway 121 that begins at Texas State Highway 78, two miles north of Bonham, Texas, and ends at its terminus with the Sam Rayburn Tollway in McKinney, Texas, was named in his honor.
• Choco Tacos were Sam Rayburn's favorite snack during his time in Congress, as a reminder of his southwestern roots. There is a statute of Speaker Rayburn in the Capitol Complex holding a Choco Taco.
• Sam Rayburn Elementary School in McAllen, Texas is named in his honor.
• Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, Texas was named in his honor.
• The Rayburn Room at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia was named in his honor, as he was Speaker of the House during the decision to build the Bunker.

Portrayals[link]

• Pat Hingle played Rayburn in LBJ: The Early Years
• James Gammon played Rayburn in Truman

See also[link]

• Wahrenberger House

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Robert A. Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power (1982).
• Anthony Champagne and Floyd F. Ewing, "RAYBURN, SAMUEL TALIAFERRO (1882-1961)." Handbook of Texas Online (2005) online version
• Anthony Champagne, Congressman Sam Rayburn (Rutgers University Press, 1984).
• Anthony Champagne, Sam Rayburn: A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood, 1988).
• C. Dwight Dorough, Mr. Sam (1962).
• Lewis L. Gould and Nancy Beck Young, "The Speaker and the Presidents: Sam Rayburn, the White House, and the Legislative Process, 1941–1961" in Raymond W. Smock and Susan W. Hammond, eds. Masters of the House: Congressional Leadership Over Two Centuries (1998). online version
• D. B. Hardeman and Donald C. Bacon, Rayburn: A Biography (Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1987).
• Alfred Steinberg, Sam Rayburn (Hawthorn, 1975)

External links[link]

• Obituary, NY Times, November 16, 1961, Rayburn Is Dead; Served 17 Years As House Speaker
• The leadership of Speaker Sam Rayburn published 1961, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Sam Rayburn at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn from the Handbook of Texas Online
• "Mister Speaker", Time Magazine, September 27, 1943
• Rayburn: Mr Speaker Documentary Website
• The Friends of Sam Rayburn Website
• Sam Rayburn House Museum Website
• Sam Rayburn at Find a Grave
• Address Delivered by The Honorable Sam Rayburn at the Dedication of the Marker over the Graves of His Great-Great Grandfather Col. George Waller and his wife Ann Winston Carr, Oakwood Cemetery, Martinsville, Virginia, May 6, 1951

v t e Speakers of the United States House of Representatives Muhlenberg Trumbull Muhlenberg Dayton Sedgwick Macon Varnum Clay Cheves Clay Taylor Barbour Clay Taylor Stevenson Bell Polk Hunter White Jones Davis Winthrop Cobb Boyd Banks Orr Pennington Grow Colfax Pomeroy Blaine Kerr Randall Keifer Carlisle Reed Crisp Reed Henderson Cannon Clark Gillett Longworth Garner Rainey Byrns Bankhead Rayburn Martin Rayburn Martin Rayburn McCormack Albert O'Neill Wright Foley Gingrich Hastert Pelosi Boehner

v t e Majority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives Payne Underwood Kitchin Mondell Longworth Tilson Rainey Byrns Bankhead Rayburn McCormack Halleck McCormack Halleck McCormack Albert Boggs O'Neill Wright Foley Gephardt Armey DeLay Blunt (acting) Boehner Hoyer Cantor

v t e Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives Bailey Richardson Williams Clark Mann Clark Kitchin Garrett Garner Snell Martin Rayburn Martin Rayburn Martin Halleck Ford Rhodes Michel Gephardt Pelosi Boehner Pelosi

v t e Democratic Party Leaders in the United States House of Representatives Bailey Richardson Williams Clark Underwood Kitchin Clark Kitchin Garrett Garner Rainey Byrns Bankhead Rayburn McCormack Rayburn McCormack Rayburn McCormack Albert Boggs O'Neill Wright Foley Gephardt Pelosi Hoyer Pelosi

v t e Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Crump  · Brown  · Branch  · Crump  · Bourland  · Perkins  · Henderson  · Keenan  · Dickson  · Runnels  · Bee  · W. Taylor  · Locke  · M. Taylor  · Buckley  · Darnell  · Buckley  · M. Taylor  · Burford  · Evans  · Sinclair  · M. Taylor  · Bryan  · Bonner  · Cochran  · Reeves  · Gibson  · Foster  · Pendleton  · Alexander  · Milner  · Cochran  · Smith  · Dashiell  · Sherrill  · Prince  · Neff  · Seabury  · Love  · Kennedy  · Marshall  · Rayburn  · Terrell  · Woods  · Fuller  · Thomason  · Thomas  · Seagler  · Satterwhite  · Bobbitt  · Barron  · Minor  · Stevenson  · Calvert  · Morse  · Leonard  · Daniel  · Gilmer  · Reed  · Manford  · Senterfitt  · Lindsey  · Carr  · Turman  · Tunnell  · Barnes  · Mutscher  · Slider  · Price  · Daniel, Jr.  · Clayton  · Lewis  · Laney  · Craddick  · Straus

The Classic (Hangul: 클래식; Keulraesik) is a 2003 South Korean melodrama / romance film directed by Kwak Jae-yong.

Plot[link]

The film tells the parallel love stories of a mother and daughter. The story of the mother is told partially in flashbacks.

The movie starts in the present day. The daughter, Ji-hye (Son Ye-jin), is cleaning-up around her house when she comes across a box full of old letters and a diary that detail the story of her mother, Joo-hee (who is also played by Son Ye-jin). Periodically in the movie, Ji-hye reads one of these letters, which starts a flashback scene in which the story of the mother is told. These flashbacks are intertwined with Ji-hye's own story, in which she falls for a fellow student, Sang-min (Zo In Sung), who is involved with the school theater.

The movie tells the story of both relationships. The mother, Joo-hee, visits the countryside as a student one summer and meets Joon-ha (Jo Seung-woo). Together they explore the countryside, playing near a river which they both will always remember as their special place. When a storm starts they take shelter together under a tree, but not before Joo-hee twists her ankle and is rendered helpless. Joon-ha carries her on his back and they struggle home, only to be confronted by her angry parents. Before they separate, Joo-hee gives him a necklace, which he keeps close as a precious reminder of their time together.

Unfortunately, as often happens in affairs of the heart, a third party prevents any deepening of their relationship. Joo-hee has been promised by her parents as a bride to Tae-soo, Joon-ha's friend. But Tae-soo, a noble friend, finds out about Joo-hee and Joon-ha's attraction for each other and helps the two communicate secretly by letting them use his own name in place of Joon-ha's in their letters. When Tae-soo's father finds this out, however, he beats Tae-soo. Tae-soo tries unsuccessfully to commit suicide so that his two friends can be together.

Meanwhile, in the present, Ji-hye falls for Sang-min in whom her friend Soo-kyeong is also very interested, but he seems not to notice. Then, in a sweet scene, they take shelter from the rain together under the same tree. He uses his coat to cover both of them and escorts her to where she needs to go. The moment, while magical, does not go anywhere as she feels his help was only due to his generous nature and not from any feelings for her on his part.

Back in the past, Joon-ha is guilt-ridden over his friend's attempted suicide and Joo-hee's own guilt. Determined to prevent any more hurt to her, Joon-ha joins the army and goes to Vietnam. There he loses his eyesight while he tries to retrieve the necklace Joo-hee had given him. When he returns to Korea, he meets again with Joo-hee, and, trying to hide his blindness, convinces her he has married in the hope she will move on with her life. Though heart broken that their relationship cannot continue, she does move on and eventually marries Tae-soo, Joon-ha's kind friend. After they have been married for several years and have a young daughter (Ji-hye) Joo-hee is approached by friends of Joon-ha, who relate Joon-ha's last wish: that his ashes be scattered by Joo-hee in the river, now a reservoir, where they first met. She then finds out that Joon-ha hadn't married, but he later did after Tae-soo and Joo-hee were married. She was told that he had a son also. The heart-break is too much and she cries.

In the present, Ji-hye's own story unfolds. Sang-min reveals his true feelings for Ji-hye - feelings that mirror her own. It is also revealed that their taking shelter together during the storm was no accident: he had purposely left his umbrella behind in a shop so that he could join her under the tree. Then, when Ji-hye pensively reveals her mother's story to him, tears stream down his face. Silently he lifts a necklace from around his neck and places it around hers. It is the necklace that Ji-hye's mother, Joo-hee, had given to Joon-ha when they met. The circle is completed: Joo-hee's daughter and Joon-ha's son have fallen in love.

Cast[link]

• Son Ye-jin in dual role as Ji-hye and Joo-hee (Ji-hye's mother)
• Jo Seung-woo as Joon-ha
• Zo In Sung as Sang-min
• Lee Ki-woo as Tae-soo (friend of Joon-ha)
• Lee Soo-in as Soo-kyeong (friend of Ji-hye)
• Seo Yeong-hee as Na-hee (friend of Joo-hee)
• Lim Ye Jin as Shopkeeper

Development[link]

Several of the school scenes were filmed at various universities in Korea. Notably, the library was in Kyung Hee University. There are many parallels between the flashback and present day stories. In the flashbacks, Joon Ha writes letters in the name of his friend Tae-soo to their mutual love interest. In the present day, Ji-hye writes letters in the name of her friend to their mutual love interest. In the flashbacks, Joo-hee has an annoying female friend that Joon-ha is initially set up with. In the present day, Ji-hye also has an annoying friend that interferes with her relationship. Also, Joo-hee and Ji-hye both receive the same poem from the people they love: "When the sun shines...".

Reception[link]

The Classic was nominated at the Hong Kong Film Awards in the category Best Asian Film in 2004.^[3]

Son Ye-jin received several awards for her performance in the film:^[4]

• 2003 40th Daejong sang Awards: Best New Actress (The Classic)
• 2003 39th PaekSang Arts Awards: Best New Actress (The Classic)
• 2003 24th Blue Dragon Film Awards - Most Favourite Star (The Classic, Crazy First Love)
• 2004 9th Moscow International Love Movie Awards: Best Couple (The Classic)

Music[link]

The film relies heavily on music to help convey emotion.

Korean Songs in the film:

• 그랬나봐 ("Geuraetna pwa" - World without love) - performer: Kim Hyung Joong
• 고백 ("Gobaek" - Confession) - performer: Delispice - played during the art gallery scene
• 너에게 난 나에게 넌 ("Neoehgeh nan naehgeh neon" - Me to you, you to me) - performer: Jatanpung - played during both special umbrella scenes
• 너무 아픈 사랑은 사랑이아니었음을 ("Neomu apeun sarangeun sarangee anieosseumeul" - It wasn't love if it hurt so much) - performer: Kim Kwang Suk - played during train and last meeting scenes
• 사랑하면 할수록 ("Saranghamyon halsoorok" - If we are in love, then...) - Played in different instrumental versions throughout the film - always at emotional moments. It is sung in the final scenes by performer Han Song Min. There is also a Mandarin version of this song titled "Hui Se Kong Jian" (灰色空間 in Mandarin) which is sung by Taiwanese singer Show Luo in Taiwanese drama called "The Outsider II".

The piano piece performed by Joo-Hee on stage is Beethoven's Piano Sonata 8, movement 2 Pathetique Sonata.

Pachelbel's Canon in D was also used as the background music. This same music was featured in the director's earlier film, My Sassy Girl.

Some American songs were used as well.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Classic at the Korean Movie Database
• The Classic at the Internet Movie Database
• The Classic at HanCinema