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Little Giant
At age six, Carl Albert knew he wanted to serve in the United States Congress. In 1947 he realized his dream when he was elected to serve in the House of Representatives alongside John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. In Little Giant , Albert relates the story of his life in Oklahoma and his road to Congress, where after eight years of service he joined its leadership and shaped the legislation known as Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s Great Society. In 1971 he began his own Speakership; six years later, when it ended, Congress had been reshaped and had weathered the constitutional crisis of Richard Nixon’s "Imperial Presidency."
402 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 2, 2015
finished in a flash--- fun and very educational ad inspiring read.... my my how politics has changed...for the worse
June 21, 2018
Only 5'4" Carl Albert is the same height as our shortest president James Madison. But he's the kind
of man that the Democratic party used to put up all the time for public office. He's also a man who
transcended his background from an area in Oklahoma called 'Little Dixie'. It was an area bordering
Texas and across the Red River from where Albert lived in Bug Tussle was the district of a man who
was a friend and mentor to him, Sam Rayburn.
He had a hardscrabble background, Albert's father was a coalminer and that was the main employer
in his area. Young Carl was scholastic star at McAlester High School and the University of Oklahoma
and that got him a trip to the United Kingdom and Oxford.
Like so many returning veterans Albert ran for Congress and won in 1946 entering the 80th Congress
with fellow freshmen John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. In his fourth term Albert was picked
to be Majority Whip by Speaker Sam Rayburn and Majority Leader John McCormack. Albert went
up the leadership ladder to Majority Leader in 1961 when Sam Rayburn died and McCormack moved
up and then in 1971 when McCormack retired and Carl Albert became Speaker.
Albert never forgot his roots among the coalminers of Little Dixie. There isn't piece of progressive
legislation, especially during Lyndon Johnson's Great Society that Albert didn't have a hand in
pushing through the House of Representatives.
He was also almost a president when first Spiro Agnew resigned and then when Richard Nixon resigned. For a couple of weeks each time before Vice Presidents could be picked Albert was the next in line of succession.
During the Gerald Ford administration, Albert suffered a heart attack and did not run for re-election in 1976. That decision probably added years to his life. He died in 2000.
I've always maintained that you can find out a lot about an era by reading the biographies of some
of the second line characters of the time. You can learn a lot about the 50s, 60s, and 70s in Washington by reading the humble memoirs of an accomplished and modest man, Carl Albert of
Bug Tussle, Oklahoma.
of man that the Democratic party used to put up all the time for public office. He's also a man who
transcended his background from an area in Oklahoma called 'Little Dixie'. It was an area bordering
Texas and across the Red River from where Albert lived in Bug Tussle was the district of a man who
was a friend and mentor to him, Sam Rayburn.
He had a hardscrabble background, Albert's father was a coalminer and that was the main employer
in his area. Young Carl was scholastic star at McAlester High School and the University of Oklahoma
and that got him a trip to the United Kingdom and Oxford.
Like so many returning veterans Albert ran for Congress and won in 1946 entering the 80th Congress
with fellow freshmen John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. In his fourth term Albert was picked
to be Majority Whip by Speaker Sam Rayburn and Majority Leader John McCormack. Albert went
up the leadership ladder to Majority Leader in 1961 when Sam Rayburn died and McCormack moved
up and then in 1971 when McCormack retired and Carl Albert became Speaker.
Albert never forgot his roots among the coalminers of Little Dixie. There isn't piece of progressive
legislation, especially during Lyndon Johnson's Great Society that Albert didn't have a hand in
pushing through the House of Representatives.
He was also almost a president when first Spiro Agnew resigned and then when Richard Nixon resigned. For a couple of weeks each time before Vice Presidents could be picked Albert was the next in line of succession.
During the Gerald Ford administration, Albert suffered a heart attack and did not run for re-election in 1976. That decision probably added years to his life. He died in 2000.
I've always maintained that you can find out a lot about an era by reading the biographies of some
of the second line characters of the time. You can learn a lot about the 50s, 60s, and 70s in Washington by reading the humble memoirs of an accomplished and modest man, Carl Albert of
Bug Tussle, Oklahoma.
January 6, 2017
What a charmed life for a miner's son. Really enjoyed the insight from his tenure as Speaker of the House.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews