Sam Mickens (Napoleon's World)

Samuel Theodore Mickens (January 8, 1912 - October 1, 1997) was an American Democratic politician from the state of North Carolina who served as the United States Representative for North Carolina's 3rd District, located on the Eastern Shore, from 1949 until his retirement on July 1, 1985 following an indictment on corruption charges. Mickens served as Speaker of the House from 1977 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1985. He was the last of a line of Southern Democratic Speakers of the House, following after Hale Boggs (1973-1977) and Jim Spotnicky (1963-1973). Mickens was regarded as a moderate within his caucus and had renounced segregation as early as the mid 1950s, much earlier than many of his fellow Southern Democrats (though still near the tail end of the civil rights movement). He chaired the powerful Ways and Means Committee from 1969-1973, when he was tapped as House Majority Leader by Hale Boggs over Boggs' rival and then-Majority Whip, Bob Carroll of New York. Mickens became Speaker after Boggs retired following a heart attack in 1976 that prevented him from a lengthy future service.

As Speaker, Mickens was regarded as a dictatorial presence, sharply curtailing the power of committee chairs and continuing the process of party leadership being run top-down. He was a staunch supporter of the Eisler-Wallace administration, particularly in the wake of President Eisler's assassination. Mickens dismissed his long-experienced leadership team after the 1980 elections and tapped "fresh blood," including Charlie Platt, whom he personally disliked, as his House Minority Whip to increase diversity of opinion within leadership ranks. The Democrats retook the House in 1982 by a narrow margin and Mickens returned as Speaker, but this time had to quell many rebellions within his more liberal and less tenured ranks. He fended off a leadership challenge in early 1984 after several corruption scandals emerged around Mickens, his former leaders and committee chairs, and several old-guard Democrats. The scandals, along with President Shannon's coattails, helped power the National Party to a massive majority post-1984, and helped prevent the Democrats from retaking the House until 1990.

Mickens stepped down as party leader after the 1984 elections and Democrats instituted rules changes to allow members more say in picking leaders and committee chairs, which was promptly used by Platt and his allies on the left flank of the caucus to seize significant power. Mickens was indicted in May of 1985 on federal corruption charges and resigned on July 1 of that year. He was acquitted on seven of nine charges and pled guilty to two others, never serving prison time.