Sam Rayburn

Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (6 January 1882 – 16 November 1961) was a United States politician from Texas. He served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for 17 years, and he is widely regarded as the most effective Speaker of the House in American history.

Attributed

• "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one."
• "No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut."
• "If you can't eat their food, drink their liquor, sleep with their women, and then vote against them, then you don't belong in politics."