(1882 – 1961) Democratic congressional leader and Speaker of the House from 1940 to 1961. Elected to the House from rural Texas in 1913, Rayburn built up formidable connections with Roosevelt and the New Deal. As Speaker in a Congress where long-term Southern representatives held key posts, Rayburn continued to promote Democratic programs in labor, defense, agriculture and even civil rights. Lyndon Johnson was his protégé. A House Office Building memorializes his decades as broker and leader.