Voting Station

Birch Bayh

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U.S. Senator

The Resume

    (January 22, 1928-March 14, 2019)
    Born in Terre Haute, Indiana
    US Senator from Indiana (1963-81)
    Democrat
    Primary author of two Constitutional amendments: the 25th (created a process for the orderly transition of power in case of the disability of the President, and a process for selecting a Vice-President if the office is vacated) and the 26th (lowering the voting age to 18)
    Co-authored Title IX of the Higher Education Act (1972), banning gender discrimination in institutions of higher education that receive federal funding
    Co-author of the Bayh-Dole Act allowing universities, non-profits, and small businesses to retain the intellectual property rights to inventions developed using federal research funds (1980)
    Father of Senator Evan Bayh
    Last name pronounced ‘bye’

Why he might be annoying:

    He unsuccessfully promoted a Constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College.
    He ran for the Democratic nomination for President, dropping out after finishing third in both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary (1976).
    The New York Times described his campaign style as ‘juvenile, corny.’
    He lost a re-election bid to future national punchline Dan Quayle (1980).
    He was accused of sexual harassment by journalist Xeni Jardin, who claimed he groped her in the back seat of a car (2016).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served as a military policeman in Germany after WWII.
    He pulled fellow Senator Ted Kennedy to safety after a plane crash (June 19, 1964).
    The ‘Economist’ called the Bayh-Dole Act ‘possibly the most inspired piece of legislation to be enacted in America over the past half-century,’ declaring ‘This single policy measure helped to reverse America's precipitous slide into industrial irrelevance.’
    Billie Jean King said, ‘You simply cannot look at the evolution of equality in our nation without acknowledging the contributions and the commitment Senator Bayh made to securing equal rights and opportunities for every American.’
    He was the only person since the Founding Fathers to draft more than one amendment to the Constitution.
    He continued to manage the family farm throughout his career in politics.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 34 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 88 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 114 Votes: 52.63% Annoying