Some senators are known as workhorses and some are seen as show horses. Carl Hayden was known as a workhorse. As he once explained to former Senate Parliamentarian Floyd Riddick, Hayden learned early on in his career “to say little and get things done.” As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee for 14 years, from 1955 to 1969, he helped fund the era’s most vital programs, from the creation of the federal highway system to President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiatives. He was particularly notable for his focus on western land development and water transportation projects for his constituents. Representing Arizona in the Senate from 1927 to 1969, he served as president pro tempore from 1957 to 1969. At the time of his retirement, he had served longer than any other member. He was known affectionately as “The Dean of the Senate.”

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