Sixty Rayburn Explained

Sixty Rayburn
Birth Name:Benjamin Burras Rayburn
Birth Date:11 August 1916
Birth Place:Sumrall, Mississippi, U.S.
Death Place:Covington, Louisiana, U.S.
Office1:Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Term Start1:1948
Term End1:1951
Preceded1:Murphy R. Williams
Succeeded1:N. L. Smith
Office2:Member of the Louisiana State Senate from the 12th district
Term Start2:1951
Term End2:1996
Preceded2:H. H. Richardson
Succeeded2:Phil Short
Party:Democratic
Children:1

Benjamin Burras Rayburn (August 11, 1916 – March 5, 2008) was an American politician.[1] [2] [3] He served as Democratic member for the 12nd district of the Louisiana State Senate,[4] and as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.[5]

Rayburn was born in Sumrall, Mississippi. He attended Sumrall High School and Sullivan Memorial Trade School.[6] He served as a member and vice president of the Washington Parish Police Jury from 1944 to 1948, at the time being the youngest member of a police jury in Louisiana.

In 1948 Rayburn was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. In 1951 he was elected for the 12nd district of the Louisiana State Senate, serving until 1996, when he was succeeded by Phil Short.

Honors Rayburn received included an honorary doctorate from Loyola University in 1959 and an induction into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in 1993.[7] In 2006 the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections renamed the Washington Correctional Institute as the B.B. Rayburn Correctional Center.[8]

Rayburn died in March 2008 from complications of lung cancer at the St. Tammany Hospital in Covington, Louisiana, at the age of 91.[9] [10]

Notes and References

  1. News: Sen. 'Sixty' Rayburn Political Complexity Says Hometown Paper. Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. March 27, 1963. September 5, 2022. 5. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: 'Sixty' Vindicates the Long Boys and Sen. Rayburn's Cynical Candor Tells Story of 'Greenback Politics'. The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. August 30, 1973. September 5, 2022. 6. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: 'Sixty' Rayburn: He Didn't Stay Accidentally. The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. June 8, 1977. September 5, 2022. 30. Newspapers.com.
  4. Web site: Membership in the Louisiana Senate: 1880 - Present. Arthur. McEnany. Louisiana State Senate. January 2008. September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20151225225646/http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/Documents/SenateMembership1880ForwardRevisedMar2011.pdf. December 25, 2015. live. Wayback Machine.
  5. Web site: Membership In The Louisiana House Of Representatives 1812 - 2012. David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library. September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20100331104823/http://house.louisiana.gov:80/H_PDFdocs/HouseMembers1812_2008.pdf. March 31, 2010. live. Wayback Machine.
  6. Web site: B. B. Rayburn Obituary (1916-2008). The Advocate. March 7, 2008. September 5, 2022.
  7. Web site: BJ "Sixty" Rayburn. Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame. September 5, 2022.
  8. Web site: Mission Statement. Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20110127111811/http://www.doc.louisiana.gov/rcc/missionstmnt.htm. January 27, 2011. live. Wayback Machine.
  9. Web site: Former State Senator B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn Dead at 91. WAFB. March 5, 2008. September 5, 2022.
  10. Web site: Former State Senator B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn Laid to Rest. WAFB. March 8, 2008. September 5, 2022.