Sam Rayburn was an American politician who was the Speaker of the House, Majority Leader to Congress and Chairman of the National Democratic Convention. Learn more at Biography.com. Sam Rayburn was an American politician best known for his roles as Speaker of the House, Majority Leader to Congress and Chairman of the National Democratic Convention. Synopsis Sam Rayburn was an American politician born on January 6, 1882, in Kingston, Tennessee. After graduating from East Texas Normal College (now Texas A&M University-Commerce) and studying law at University of Texas at Austin, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1906 and served from 1907-1913.