Thomas Brackett Reed

Thomas Brackett Reed (October 18, 1839 – December 7, 1902), occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and also from 1895–1899. He was a powerful leader of the Republican Party, and during his tenure as Speaker of the House, he served with greater influence than any Speaker who came before, and he forever increased its power and influence for those who succeeded him in the position.

Quotes

 * One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils of the world can be cured by legislation.
 * Quoted by George W. Stimpson in A Book About American Politics (1952)
 * How to dodge a bicycle
 * His answer to the question what is "the greatest problem now confronting the American people"
 * Russell, you do not understand the theory of the five minute debate. The object is to convey to the House in the space of five minutes either information or disinformation. You have consumed several periods of five minutes this afternoon without doing either.
 * His reponse to the statements of rep John Russell