Olin Earl Teague

Olin Earl "Tiger" Teague (April 6, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American politician and World War II veteran who served as the U.S. representative for as a Democrat for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Biography

Early life Teague (center, front row) with the Congressional freshman class of 1947. Future presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon can be seen to his right in the back row. 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 United States 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.

The nickname "Tiger" came from his play on the football field while in high school.

Congressional career Rep. 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 a champion for veterans, authoring more veterans' legislation than any congressmember before him. 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, the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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).

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. 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).