Recognizing and honoring the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum on October 9, 2007, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I, of course, rise in support of H. Res. 709, recognizing and honoring the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum.

Samuel ``Sam'' Taliaferro Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, on January 6, 1882, the eighth of 11 children, and moved west with his family to a 40-acre cotton farm in Fannin County in Texas near the little community of Flag Springs, Texas, in 1887. Many Tennesseeans like Sam Rayburn and Sam Houston were great leaders and builders of the State of Texas.

From those humble beginnings, ``Mr. Sam,'' as he became known, rose to become one of Texas' and the United States' greatest statesmen. He held elected office for 55 consecutive years beginning in 1906 with his election to

the Texas House. He was elected 24 times to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Texas's Fourth District, and spent 17 of those years as Speaker of the House, a position that put him third in line for the United States Presidency. At the time of his death in 1961, Rayburn's 48 consecutive years in the U.S. House set a congressional record for continuous service.

Sam Rayburn was selected to replace the deceased William Bankhead as Speaker of the House, a position he held for a record number 17\1/2\ years. He also served as minority leader during the 80th and 83rd Congresses, the two periods of Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Rayburn served with eight different Presidents and helped to pass several pieces of key legislation throughout his career:

One was the Selective Service Act in 1941. He cast the deciding vote to pass that act; the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960; establishment of NASA; the National Defense Education Act of 1958; the Hospital Survey and Construction Act of 1958.

The Office of Speaker lacked great formal powers when he first took office, but Rayburn quickly expanded the power and influence of the office. Rayburn relied heavily on his personal prestige, persuasive skills, and personal friendships built up over decades in the House. His leadership style usually resulted in congenial relations between not only the northern and southern wings of the Democratic Party but also between Rayburn and the Republican leadership of the House. Rayburn's actions during his long tenure as Speaker increased the power of the House of Representatives in its relations with the Senate and with the executive branch.

Following his election as Speaker, Rayburn wanted to build a library to house his books, his personal papers, and memoirs. He also wanted the facility to be a reservoir center of political history available to the people of Fannin County in his congressional district. With the advice of Secretary of the Treasury John Snyder, Rayburn requested that Judge H.A. Cunningham, a good friend of Rayburn's and a great man from Bonham, Texas, arrange to have a charitable trust established for the purposes of receiving and managing funds donated to assist in building the library. The Speaker also contacted Buster Cole, a young lawyer from Bonham, to assist in the process of setting up the trust. An earlier $10,000 award from Collier's magazine served as a financial base for the foundation.

Sam Rayburn, representatives of the Sam Rayburn Foundation, and hundreds of admirers gathered to break ground for the library in December 1955. The library construction was completed in July 1957, and the Sam Rayburn Library officially opened to the public October 9, 1957, in a ceremony that garnered national attention and media coverage. Businesses were closed for the day, and downtown Bonham was decorated with banners and bunting.

Many distinguished political leaders attended the dedication, including President Harry S. Truman and his wife, Bess Truman; Secretary of Treasury Robert Anderson; Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana; Congressman Richard Bolling of Missouri; Governor of Arizona, Ernest McFarland; former Governor and current Congressman Earle C. Clements of Kentucky; and the majority of the congressional delegations from Texas and Oklahoma, among them Lyndon B. Johnson, Jim Wright, Carl Albert and Tom Steed. There were approximately 11 television and radio stations on hand to report all the activities.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the library and in recognition of the completion of phase one of the Museum Restoration Program, the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum hosted an open house and reception on Tuesday, October 9. An exhibit featuring historic images of the dedication as well as items pertaining to the recent renovation project were on display. The open house and reception honored Speaker Rayburn and recognized the many supporters and contributors who helped fund the recent renovation project.

The renovation included a new look, an improved drainage system for the building, a more efficient heating and cooling system, upgraded accessibility to the museum, and a thorough cleaning and resealing of the building exterior. These improvements will not only preserve the historic structure but also provide added protection for the valuable collections and artifacts housed in the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum.

I am pleased to offer this resolution today honoring the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum, and I urge my colleagues' support in recognition of this great facility that chronicles an important era in the history of our Nation.

I am also proud to represent Mr. Rayburn's Fourth District of Texas. My mother attended Mayo College at Commerce, Texas, with Mr. Rayburn. He was a great friend, my friend, and my family's friend. He truly was one of a kind. And this resolution will go into the Congressional Record, adding more light to this man's great history.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 709, recognizing and honoring the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum on October 9, 2007, and for such other purposes.

Congressman Samuel Rayburn was born on January 6, 1882, in a rural area of Roane County, Tennessee. His interest in government coincided with his family's move to Texas, and it has been suggested that his curiosity intensified through the ``great golden age of Texas politics.''

As he worked his family's cotton fields, Congressman Rayburn imagined himself making numerous political speeches and engaging in debates with current political leaders. Later in his life, Congressman Rayburn recalled that it was during one of these flights of imagination that he decided he would pursue a career in law and politics.

By 1937, Congressman Rayburn was elected majority leader of the 75th Congress, and in 1940 he was selected to replace the deceased William Bankhead as Speaker of the House, a position he held for a record number 17\1/2\ years.

During the 80th and 83rd Congresses, the two periods of Republican majorities in the House of Representatives, he served as minority leader. During his time in Congress, Congressman Rayburn served with eight different Presidents and helped to pass several pieces of key legislation. He served as Speaker of the House throughout World War II and was instrumental in garnering support to fund the Manhattan Project.

Known by most as ``Mr. Democrat,'' Mr. Rayburn was permanent chairman of the National Democratic Convention in 1948, 1952, and 1956, and was named honorary chairman in 1960. Throughout his political career, the congressman was known for his ability to balance his strong Democratic partisanship with his unwavering sense of dedication to meeting the needs of the American people through working in bipartisan ways with Republicans.

Despite the status he was able to achieve in Washington as Speaker, he was still known as ``informal'' and a ``down home kind of guy'' who returned to his home in Bonham as soon as Congress adjourned for the session. When home, Congressman Rayburn would meet with his constituents concerning their needs, maintaining that his obligation was to the people and it wasn't finished.

Congressman Rayburn accomplished much during his lifetime by the fulfillment of his dream to become a politician. And he is a source of pride for those all over northeast Texas.

Sam Rayburn passed away in Bonham, Texas, on November 16, 1961, and was buried at the Willow Wild Cemetery, a few blocks from the Rayburn Library and Museum. His remains laid in state for 24 hours in the library he had established in October 1957 as a tribute to the people of his cherished Fannin County, Texas. Thousands of mourners from schoolchildren to national officials filed silently past his bronze coffin in tribute to his service and dedication. The Texas Department of Public Safety estimated that 15,000 people filled the streets on the day of Rayburn's funeral. President John Kennedy, former Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman and future President Lyndon Johnson attended the funeral services. The entire Texas congressional delegation and 105 Members of Congress attended the services, many of whom came to the library.

Today, the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum exhibits photographs and original letters, political artifacts, and personal memorabilia relating to important events of the life and times of Congressman Rayburn. In addition to a research library, the museum centerpiece is a replica of the formal office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

I thank the gentleman who sits behind me for whom I will yield in just a moment, Mr. Hall, for introducing this resolution and I ask my colleagues' support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 709) recognizing and honoring the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum on October 9, 2007, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H. Res. 709 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 709, a resolution to recognize and honor the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum on October 9, 2007.

Sam Rayburn is a legend to many of us in this House, having served as Speaker of the House for a record 17\1/2\ years. Born Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn, he served the people of Texas as an elected official for 55 consecutive years. Sam Rayburn spent 48 years here as a Member of Congress from the Fourth District of Texas and also served in the Texas House of Representatives. He was perhaps destined to become the Speaker of the House because he certainly had the experience for it. Prior to coming here, he was also the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and he served as Speaker of this House on three different occasions: from 1940 to 1947, from 1948 to 1953, and then again from 1955 until his death in 1961.

During Speaker Rayburn's time of service to this great Nation, he presided over the enactment of the Marshall Plan, expansion of Social Security, and passage of the first pieces of major civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.

Throughout the House campus, we have an array of memorials to the Speaker. The largest House office building which houses Members and committee offices is the Rayburn House Office Building built in 1965. His likeness stands in the entrance to that building, and there is also the Rayburn Room, which has hosted many negotiations and meetings across from the House floor.

Texas has also honored its native son with the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum, located in Speaker Rayburn's hometown of Bonham, Texas. It recently had its 50th anniversary and is celebrating the completion of phase one of the museum's restoration program. This restoration program will help protect the valuable collections stored at the library.

This anniversary year has been a busy one for the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum. In January, it hosted the annual celebration of Speaker Rayburn's birthday and has featured three new exhibits. The Sam Rayburn Foundation also honors high school seniors from the Speaker's home of Bonham and Fannin County.

Speaker Rayburn, despite his busy congressional schedule, was actively involved in every step of his library's planning, construction, and dedication. The library and museum was his way of paying tribute to the people of Fannin County. This resolution also honors the supporters and contributors who have helped make this library such a success.

I am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting this resolution, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.