Carl Hayden - Professional Disposition

Professional Disposition

Soon after he arrived in Washington, Hayden was told by Maryland Representative J. Frederick C. Talbott "Son, there are two kinds of Congressmen—show horses and work horses. If you want to get your name in the papers, be a show horse. But if you want to gain the respect of your colleagues, don't do it. Be a work horse." Hayden quickly earned a reputation as a "service congressman" who faithfully responded to constituent mail, inserting vegetable or flower seed packets in his replies. Hayden believed that partisanship should end on election day, and his constituent service was performed in a nonpartisan manner.

During his time in office, Hayden avoided publicity and speech making. Following his filibuster of Boulder Dam, Hayden did not make another speech from the floor of the Senate for twenty years and by his later years many of his congressional colleagues had not heard him make a full speech. His avoidance of public speaking did not impair Hayden in his duties, with then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson saying "He is living proof that effectiveness and statesmanship are not necessarily coupled with talkativeness" and Arthur Edson of the Associate Press writing, "He has kept his mouth shut while astutely pushing out invisible tentacles of power".