Editor's Note: Leading up to Oklahoma's Centennial, The Oklahoman will profile Oklahomans who have made a significant contribution to the success of our state.
Known as the "Little Giant from Little Dixie," Albert served as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971-77, during the tumultuous days of the Vietnam War and Watergate. White House crises twice put him one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Albert was born May 10, 1908, in Bugtussle, a tiny town outside McAlester. He was the oldest of Ernie and Leona Albert's five children. His father was a cotton farmer and coal miner, according to The Oklahoman archives.
He started his education in the two-room Bugtussle schoolhouse, and his family moved to McAlester in 1923 so he could go to high school, according to a 1962 Saturday Evening Post story. He made the honor roll and excelled in national debate contests.
After enrolling and paying fees at the University of Oklahoma in 1927, he had $10 left in his pocket. He worked his way through college as a waiter, soda jerk and tutor but found time to serve as student council president, win a National Oratorical Championship and earn a Phi Beta Kappa key.
In 1931, he graduated with a Rhodes scholarship and went to Oxford, England. He traveled extensively while working on his law degree.
When he returned to Oklahoma, Albert passed the state bar, worked for several years for the Federal Housing Administration and later joined the legal staff of an oil company.
He enlisted in the Army in 1941 and served in the Pacific during World War II, earning a Bronze Star. He was discharged in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel, but stayed in the Army Reserve until he was in his 60s, when he retired as a colonel.
Albert was serving as a captain in the Office of the Judge Advocate General at the Pentagon when he met Mary Harmon. They married in 1942 and had two children, David and Mary Frances.
A lifelong Democrat, Albert first ran for Congress in 1946. He represented southeastern Oklahoma from 1947-77.
When the previous Democratic whip stepped down in 1955, House Speaker Sam Rayburn, Albert's mentor, and Majority Leader John McCormack tapped Albert to take over the post. He was became majority leader in 1962 and House speaker almost a decade later.
