Olin E. Teague

Olin Earl "Tiger" Teague (April 6, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was a World War II veteran and congressional representative for Texas's 6th congressional district for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Olin E. Teague
Chair of the House Science Committee
In office
January 3, 1973 – December 31, 1978
Preceded byGeorge P. Miller
Succeeded byDon Fuqua
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1973
Preceded byEdith Nourse Rogers
Succeeded byWilliam Jennings Bryan Dorn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 6th district
In office
August 24, 1946 – December 31, 1978
Preceded byLuther A. Johnson
Succeeded byPhil Gramm
Personal details
Born(1910-04-06)April 6, 1910
Woodward, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedJanuary 23, 1981(1981-01-23) (aged 70)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationTexas A&M University
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1940-1946
RankColonel
AwardsSilver Star
Bronze Star
Purple Heart (2)

Biography

Early life
Olin Teague (center, front row) with the Congressional freshman class of 1947.

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Mena, Arkansas, Teague graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) in 1932. He joined the Army in 1940 as a lieutenant and was discharged in 1946 as a colonel. He participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, and was a decorated combat veteran of World War II, receiving the Silver Star with two clusters, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.[1] The nickname "Tiger" came from his play on the football field while in high school.

Congressional career
Representative Olin Teague and other members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center on March 9, 1962, to gather first-hand information of the nation's space exploration program.

While in Congress, he was the veteran's champion, authoring more veterans' legislation than any congressman before him.[2] He was one of the majority of the Texan delegation to decline to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto opposing the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. However, Teague voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[3] 1960,[4] 1964,[5] and 1968,[6] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[7][8]

He proposed 50 amendments in Congress, including: Providing for the election of President and Vice President; to abolish the electoral college (1953), Provides representation for the people of the District of Columbia (1957), Relative to appointment of postmasters (1959), Proposal with respect to the appointment of postmasters (1961), Empowering Congress to grant representation in the Congress and among the electors of President and Vice President to the people of the District of Columbia (1950 and 1951 and 1953), Equal rights regardless of sex (1967).[9]

He was instrumental in improving benefits for servicemen's survivors. In 1956, he helped overhaul the survivor's benefits, with the creation of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. He was also chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (1955–1972), and chairman of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics (1973–1978). Before 1973, he also chaired the Manned Space Flight Subcommittee and in that capacity oversaw NASA's efforts to place a man on the moon.[10] In 1976, Teague was pivotal in establishing the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Legacy

The Olin E. Teague Veterans Center, a VA hospital and health center in Temple, Texas, was named for him. The VA also presents the annual Olin E. Teague Award for contributions to improving the quality of life of disabled veterans. Also named for him were the Olin E. Teague Research Center at Texas A&M, a space research facility, and the original visitor center at the Johnson Space Center (closed in 1992).

References
  1. Past Chairmen of House Committee on Veteran's Affairs
  2. R. Jim Nicholson (12 October 2005). "Secretary Nicholson Speech: Remarks by The Hon. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs: 25th Annual Olin E. Teague Award". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  3. "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
  4. "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
  5. "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
  6. "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES".
  7. "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
  8. "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
  9. "Data.gov Data Set Proposed Amendments".
  10. "A History of the Committee on Science". United States House Committee on Science. Archived from the original on 2006-08-24. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Luther A. Johnson		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 6th congressional district
1946–1978		 Succeeded by
Phil Gramm
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