Sam Rayburn's record as Speaker of the House was undoubtedly his best known accomplishment during fifty years in Congress. Nevertheless he played a vital role as proponent of the New Deal during the period from 1933 to 1936 when he was Chairman of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. Since Rayburn's role in passage of early New Deal statutes has been neglected, the purpose of this thesis is to examine his contributions to the Roosevelt Administration as leader in the debates on key legislation.