Tiger Teague | |
|---|---|
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| Chair of theHouse Science Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – December 31, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | George P. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Don Fuqua |
| Chair of theHouse Veterans' Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Edith Nourse Rogers |
| Succeeded by | William Jennings Bryan Dorn |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's6th district | |
| In office August 24, 1946 – December 31, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Luther A. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Phil Gramm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Olin Earl Teague (1910-04-06)April 6, 1910 Woodward, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 1981(1981-01-23) (aged 70) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Texas A&M University |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1946 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Awards | Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart (2) |
Olin Earl "Tiger"Teague (April 6, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American politician andWorld War II veteran who served as the U.S. representative forTexas's 6th congressional district as aDemocrat for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978. He is buried inArlington National Cemetery.
Born inOklahoma and raised inMena, Arkansas, Teague graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (nowTexas A&M University) in 1932. He joined theUnited States Army in 1940 as a lieutenant and was discharged in 1946 as a colonel. He participated in theD-Day invasion of Normandy, and was a decorated combat veteran ofWorld War II, receiving theSilver Star with two clusters, theBronze Star, and twoPurple Hearts.[1]
The nickname "Tiger" came from his play on the football field while in high school.[citation needed]
While in Congress, he was a champion for veterans, authoring more veterans' legislation than any congressmember before him.[2] He was one of the majority of the Texan delegation to decline to sign the 1956Southern Manifesto[3] opposing the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court inBrown v. Board of Education. However, Teague voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[4] theCivil Rights Acts of 1960,[5] theCivil Rights Acts of 1964,[6] and theCivil Rights Acts of 1968,[7] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[8][9]
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, 1951, and 1953);Equal rights regardless of sex (1967).[10]
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 alsochairman of the House Democratic Caucus, chairman of theHouse Committee on Veterans Affairs (1955–1972), and chairman of theHouse Committee on Science and Astronautics (1973–1978). Before 1973, he also chaired the Manned Space Flight Subcommittee and in that capacity oversawNASA's efforts to place a man on the moon.[11] In 1976, Teague was pivotal in establishing theOffice of Science and Technology Policy.
The Olin E. Teague Veterans Center, aVA hospital and health center inTemple, 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 theJohnson Space Center (closed in 1992).
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 6th congressional district 1946–1978 | Succeeded by |
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