Sam Rayburn was a good man, a good American, and, third, a good Democrat.

Sam Rayburn took unnumbered secrets with him to the grave, for he was never loquacious, and his word, once given, was not subject to retraction.

And he said, `` The same fellow who has been running it, Sam Rayburn ''.

It is notably significant that so many Members from both sides of the aisle express their respect and admiration for our beloved Speaker, the Honorable Sam Rayburn.

It is a matter of deep personal satisfaction for me to add my voice to the great and distinguished chorus of my colleagues in this paean of praise, respect, and affection for Speaker Sam Rayburn.

But the task is beyond me because I hold it impossible to compress in a sentence or two the complicated and prodigious contributions Sam Rayburn has made as an individual, as a legislator, as a statesman and as a leader and conciliator, to the majestic progress of this Nation.

For Sam Rayburn never forgot Bonham, his home community, and he never forgot Texas.

More than that, Sam Rayburn is the very living symbol of an iron-clad integrity so powerful in his nature and so constantly demonstrated that he can count some of his best friends in the opposition.

Sam Rayburn has never had to look back at any of his most devastating fights and ever feel ashamed of his conduct as a combatant under fire or his political manners in the heat of conflicting ambitions.

All but two of my nine terms in the House of Representatives has been served under the Speakership of Sam Rayburn.

And Sam Rayburn is a great man -- one who will go down in American history as a truly great leader of the Nation.

I pay my personal tribute to Sam Rayburn, stalwart Texan and great American, not only because today he establishes a record of having served as Speaker of the House of Representatives more than twice as long as Henry Clay, but because of the contributions he has made to the welfare of the people of the Nation during his almost half century of service as a Member of Congress.

No one has sponsored more progressive and important legislation than has Sam Rayburn.

But to run the gauntlet of the programs Sam Rayburn brought into being through his legislative efforts would fill the pages of today's Record.

Sam Rayburn is one of the greatest American public figures in the history of our country and I consider that I have been singly honored in the privilege of knowing Sam Rayburn and sharing with him the rights and obligations of a Member of the House of Representatives in the Congress of the United States.

I prefer to speak, however, of Sam Rayburn, the person, rather than Sam Rayburn, the American institution.

Although Sam Rayburn affects a gruff exterior in many instances, nevertheless he is fundamentally a man of warm heart and gentle disposition.

On September 16, Sam Rayburn will have served as Speaker twice as long as any predecessor and I am proud to join with others in marking this date, and in expressing my esteem for that notable American, Sam Rayburn.

Wymore was founded on April 7, 1881 on land donated by Sam Wymore as a railroad town.

He was the eldest of three children of James " Sam " Murray Helpman ( 1881 – 1927 ), a Victorian-born stock and station agent, and his wife Mary " Maytie ", née Gardiner, born in South Australia.

Upon recommendation of Sam Armstrong to founder Lewis Adams and others, in 1881, Washington was sent to Alabama at age 25 to head another new normal school.

* 1979 – Sam Atwell, Australian actor

* 1944 – Sam Elliott, American actor

* 1968 – Sam Fogarino, American drummer ( Interpol and Magnetic Morning )

* 1961 – Sam Champion, American weatherman

* 1974 – Sam Endicott, American singer-songwriter and director ( The Bravery )

* 1976 – Sam Worthington, Australian actor

* 1965 – Sam Mendes, English director

* 1989 – Sam Hutchinson, English footballer

* 1947 – Sam Rosen, American sportscaster

* 1954 – Sam J. Jones, American actor

* Sam Woo Restaurant – California, Nevada

* 1921 – Sam Cook, English cricketer ( d. 1996 )

* 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston capture Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

* 1947 – Sam Anderson, American actor

* 1880 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player ( d. 1968 )

* 1977 – In Yonkers, New York, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz (" Son of Sam ") is arrested for a series of killings in the New York City area over the period of one year.

* 1989 – Sam Gagner, Canadian ice hockey player

* 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto – Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

* 1975 – Sam Doumit, American actress

* 1925 – Sam Pollock, Canadian ice hockey general manager ( d. 2007 )

* 1953 – Sam Kinison, American comedian ( d. 1992 )

* 1961 – Sam Robards, American actor

* 1969 – Magic Sam, American blues guitarist and singer ( b. 1937 )

* 1998 – Sam Muchnick, American professional wrestling promoter ( b. 1905 )