Carl Albert

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Carl Bert Albert
54th United States Speaker of the House
In office January 21, 1971 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by	John William McCormack
Succeeded by	Tip O'Neill
United States Representative from Oklahoma's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1947 - January 3, 1977
Preceded by	Paul Stewart
Succeeded by	Wes Watkins
Born	May 10, 1908 McAlester, Oklahoma
Died	February 4, 2000 McAlester, Oklahoma
Political party	Democratic

Carl Bert Albert (May 10, 1908 – February 4, 2000) was a lawyer and a Democratic American politician from Oklahoma. He is most well-known for his service as Speaker of the House from 1971 to 1977. At 5 feet 4 inches tall, Albert was often affectionately known as the "Little Giant from Little Dixie." He is also credited with having held the highest political office of any Oklahoman in American history. (see also: Little Dixie)

Contents 1 Early history 2 General Political Outlook 3 Legislative Strategist 4 Legislative Leader 5 Albert, Twice, Only "A Heartbeat Away" 6 Trivia 7 External links

[edit] Early history

Carl Bert Albert was born in a small town just north of McAlester, Oklahoma, the son of a coal miner and farmer and grew up in a log cabin on his father's farm. At high school he excelled in debate and was student body president. He entered the University of Oklahoma in 1927, where he majored in political science and won the National Oratorical Championship in 1928. While at Oklahoma, he was an accomplished amateur wrestler. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1931, then studied at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. He returned to the U.S. and in 1935 practiced law in Oklahoma City.

Albert joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1941, earning a Bronze Star.

[edit] General Political Outlook

He represented the southeastern portion of Oklahoma (Congressional District 3) as a Democrat for thirty years, starting in 1947. He was a Cold War liberal, supporting President Harry S. Truman's containment of Soviet expansionism, as well as such domestic measures as public housing, federal aid to education, and farm price supports.

[edit] Legislative Strategist

Albert was a key figure, in general, in advancing the Democrat's legislative agenda in Congress. In particular, he played an important role in the passage of health care legislation. When Medicare, the federal program of hospital insurance for persons 65 and older was first being considered by Congress as an amendment to the Social Security program (this was the initial proposal of the Kennedy Administration), Albert knew the bill had insufficient Congressional support for passage due to the opposition of ten key Republicans and eight key southern Democrats. Thus, he advised President Kennedy that it would be advantageous to first seek passage of the measure from the Senate. His political calculation was that if Medicare were attached to a Senate welfare bill, they could bring it to the House as a conference committee report on their own welfare bill. Although well-planned, Albert's efforts on behalf of the Medicare bill were not successful at that time. Later, in the Johnson Administration, as Democratic leader, Albert advised the president that the decision-making process should be changed so that the majority Democrats would have greater influence on the final decisions of Congress. The change included giving the Democrats more leverage over the House Rules Committee and strengthening their majority membership influence in the House Ways and Means Committee. With these maneuvers, Albert determined that they could finally achieve success on the Medicare bill. As a result, the compulsory payroll tax of Social Security financed the new Medicare program's projected hospital costs, and a voluntary supplementary coverage provision was added to help to cover the costs associated with doctor office visits.

[edit] Legislative Leader

With the retirement of Representative John W. McCormack, in January, 1971, Albert was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and he began the task of working with the Nixon Administration. Then, in 1973, during his second term as House Speaker, Vice President Spiro Agnew became involved in a political scandal, and resigned. This event suddenly placed Albert as next in line to assume the presidency, should that office become vacant. Nixon, under the provisions of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, nominated Republican House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford to replace Agnew as Vice President. Later, as the Watergate crisis began to unfold, many believed that President Richard Nixon would also resign from office, and possibly before both Houses of Congress would have the opportunity to confirm Ford as Nixon's nominee to replace Agnew. Had Nixon, in fact, resigned without a sitting Vice President to succeed him, then Albert would have succeeded Nixon as president under the provisions of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 .

[edit] Albert, Twice, Only "A Heartbeat Away"

The resignation of Agnew, in 1973, was the first occasion in which Albert was confronted with the question of whether it was appropriate for a Democrat to assume the nation's highest office when it was held by a member of the opposing party. Albert concluded that he had no right to a Presidency that the American people had entrusted, by election, to a Republican. He thus announced that should the need arise for him to assume the presidency, he would do so only in an acting capacity, and would resign immediately after both Houses of Congress (in accordance with Section 2 of the 25th Amendment) had approved a Republican Vice President.

The resignation of Nixon, in August, 1974 (and the subsequent ascendency of then Vice President Ford to the Presidency) became the second occasion in which Albert was confronted with the issue of succession (since the office of Vice President was now vacant). However, after President Ford nominated former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to succeed him as Vice President, and after Rockefeller was confirmed and sworn into office in December, 1974, the issue of Albert's presidential succession was finally laid to rest.

However a different issue arose during Albert's last term in office when he was confronted with the Tongsun Park scandal, and was accused of having accepted bribes from a lobbyist who was also a member of South Korean intelligence. Albert decided to retire at the end of the 94th Congress in early January of 1977.

[edit] Trivia

• Carl Albert State College is a community college located in Poteau, Oklahoma, which was named for Albert in 1971.

• Carl Albert Indian Health Facility in Ada, Oklahoma, is a 53 bed acute-care hospital (and part of the Public Health Service) and is administered by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma[1].

• The Carl Albert Center, an academic unit of the University of Oklahoma (in Norman, Oklahoma) was established in 1979 for the purpose of studying the life and political career of the former House Speaker, and, more generally the study of Congress. The Center also has a large archive with an extensive collection of twentieth century congressional papers.

• In the NBC show The West Wing it has been theorized that Speaker Albert was President in the mid 70's. See Timeline skew theories for The West Wing (TV series).

[edit] External links

• The Carl Albert Center Home Page at the University of Oklahoma
• Carl Albert State College Home Page
• The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma Home Page
• Biography of Carl Albert courtesy of the Carl Albert Center
• Text of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Consitution
• Text of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Preceded by: Paul Stewart	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 3rd District January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1977	Succeeded by: Wes Watkins
Preceded by: Leslie C. Arends	Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives 1955-1961	Succeeded by: Hale Boggs
Preceded by: John W. McCormack	Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives 1961-1971	Succeeded by: Hale Boggs
Preceded by: John W. McCormack	Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives January 21, 1971 – January 3, 1975; January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1977	Succeeded by: Tip O'Neill

Speakers of the United States House of Representatives

Muhlenberg • Trumbull • Muhlenberg • Dayton • Sedgwick • Macon • Varnum • Clay • Cheves • Clay • Taylor • Barbour • Clay • Taylor • Stevenson • Bell • Polk • Hunter • White • Jones • Davis • Winthrop • Cobb • Boyd • Banks • Orr • Pennington • Grow • Colfax • Pomeroy • Blaine • Kerr • Randall • Keifer • Carlisle • Reed • Crisp • Reed • Henderson • Cannon • Clark • Gillett • Longworth • Garner • Rainey • Byrns • Bankhead • Rayburn • Martin • Rayburn • Martin • Rayburn • McCormack • Albert • O'Neill • Wright • Foley • Gingrich • Hastert

Majority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives
Payne • Underwood • Kitchin • Mondell • Longworth • Tilson • Rainey • Byrns • Bankhead • Rayburn • McCormack • Halleck • McCormack • Halleck • McCormack • Albert • Boggs • O'Neill • Wright • Foley • Gephardt • Armey • DeLay • Blunt (acting) • Boehner • Hoyer

Persondata
NAME	Albert, Carl Bert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 10, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH	McAlester, Oklahoma
DATE OF DEATH	February 4, 2000
PLACE OF DEATH