stand among the beneficiaries). His commitment to pension legislation, general and individual, marked his whole career and took up most of his time. No member did more than he in that respect. Speaker of the House With the support of fellow "western state" Republicans, Henderson was elected to succeed Reed as Speaker following Reed's resignation from the post in 1899. During his two terms as speaker (in the 56th and 57th congresses), Henderson, by longstanding tradition also held the role as chairman of the Committee on Rules. On September 16, 1902 - with the next Congressional election less than two months away - Henderson surprised nearly everyone by announcing that he was withdrawing from the re-election campaign. Several explanations for his abrupt withdrawal were suggested. Henderson's letter announcing his decision referred to "a growing sentiment, among Republicans, that I do not truly represent their views on the tariff question." Some attributed his decision to the lingering effects of his war injuries. In a letter to Henderson's successor Joe Cannon dated three days after Henderson's announcement, former House Clerk Henry H. Smith stated that "there can be but one explanation of the reason for his action [the resignation] . . . they relate not alone to poker playing, but to his alleged intimacy with a certain `lobbyess' who is reported to have some written evidence that would greatly embarrass the Speaker. . . . He seemed to have lost all control of himself and become reckless. . . . This is not mere guesswork at all but private and reliable information which I am sure you will recognize when I tell you the name." - Whatever the cause, Henderson's resignation ushered in the beginning of Cannon's famous tenure as Speaker. Death and honors After leaving Congress, Henderson practiced law in New York City until health problems caused him to retire to Southern California. Henderson died in Dubuque on February 25, 1906, aged 65. He is buried at Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque. His portrait hangs in the speakers' room in the U.S. Capitol, and statues of Henderson by J. Massey Rhind are found in the collections of the Iowa State Historical Society and in Clermont. "Allison-Henderson Park," in Dubuque, shares his name with that of six-term U.S. Senator William B. Allison, another citizen of Dubuque. References Retrieved on 2008-10-01. Further reading Hoing, Willard L. “David B. Henderson: Speaker of the House.” Iowa