John W. McCormack

John W. McCormack (born Dec. 21, 1891, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died Nov. 22, 1980, Dedham, Mass.) was an American politician who served as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1962 to 1970.

McCormack had little formal education. He read law while working as an office boy and passed the bar examination at the age of 21. He joined the Democratic Party and won his first election to public office at age 25. He served for two years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and for three years in the state senate. In 1928 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and remained a member of Congress for the next 42 years. In 1940 he became House majority leader, and in 1962 he succeeded Sam Rayburn as Speaker of the House. McCormack was known as a loyal Democrat and a skillful debater; he supported civil-rights bills, antipoverty programs, and wage-and-hour laws. He opposed communism and defended U.S. involvement in Vietnam. He retired in 1970.

(Read Lyndon Johnson’s Britannica entry on Sam Rayburn.)