Voting Station

Ralph Yarborough

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U.S. Senator

The Resume

    (June 8, 1903-January 27, 1996)
    Born in Chandler, Texas
    US Senator from Texas (1957-71)
    Democrat
    Rode in the motorcade during the John F. Kennedy assassination, sharing a limo with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson two cars behind the Presidential limo

Why he might be annoying:

    He dropped out of West Point after a year.
    He clashed with more conservative Democrats such as Texas Governor John Connally, who called him 'a very despicable man.'
    He complained so much about sharing a car with LBJ that Kennedy eventually snapped 'For Christ's sake, cut it out Ralph' and said he could ride with the Vice President or walk.
    He lost the 1970 Democratic primary election to Lloyd Bentsen, who accused him of ignoring his constituents, saying 'It would be nice if Ralph Yarborough would vote for his state every once in a while.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served in the US Army during WWII, earning a Bronze Star.
    He was the only Southern Senator to vote for all the major civil rights bills of the 1960s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    He authored an extension of the G.I. Bill to cover Cold War veterans.
    His personal library was said to be the largest in his home state outside of the University of Texas.
    When Eugene McCarthy dropped off a book of poetry at Yarborough's office, he told an aide, 'I'm giving this to Ralph because he's one of the few senators who reads.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 16 Votes: 56.25% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 20 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 20 Votes: 55.00% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 21 Votes: 38.10% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 68 Votes: 76.47% Annoying