Sen. Byrd about to break record for longest time in Congress
On Wednesday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd is set to become the longest-serving member in the history of the U.S. Congress.
Byrd previously cast 4,705 votes in a row -- the second-highest total in Senate history.
Byrd has served on a Senate Committee longer than anyone, becoming a member of the powerful U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on Jan. 14, 1959, just after becoming a senator. Byrd served as the committee's chair or ranking minority member since 1989.
On January 6, Byrd stepped down as chair. But he still sits on the committee that makes key decisions about federal spending.
Byrd has held more leadership positions than anyone else, including Senate majority leader, majority whip, minority leader and president pro tempore.
Byrd's unusual accomplishments also include:
Presiding over the Senate's shortest session, lasting six-tenths of one second on Feb. 27, 1989, and its longest continuous session, lasting 21 hours and eight minutes on March 7 and 8, 1960.
In 1970, Byrd became the first candidate to win all of West Virginia's 55 counties in an contested election, in which he got 78 percent of the vote.
Byrd is the only person to earn a law degree while in Congress. President John F. Kennedy personally handed Byrd his degree during 1963 graduation ceremonies at American University.
"The Almanac of American Politics," a widely consulted directory about federal politics, calls Byrd the politician who "may come closer to the kind of senator the Founding Fathers had in mind than any other."
Wednesday's celebration will begin at 3 p.m. in front of Byrd's statue on the second floor of the state Capitol under the rotunda.
In addition to Manchin and Rose, speakers will include: U.S. Circuit Court Judge M. Blane Michael; Anne Barth, who runs Byrd's offices in Charleston; and Ray Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University.
Following the ceremony, visitors can look at an exhibit featuring Byrd's accomplishments, including photographs and personal memorabilia, including one of his fiddles.
The ceremony and exhibit are free and open to the public.
Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On Wednesday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd is set to become the longest-serving member in the history of the U.S. Congress.
The West Virginia Democrat was first elected to the Senate in 1958, taking his oath of office on Jan. 3, 1959. Before that, Byrd served three two-year terms in the House of Representatives.
He is about to pass the current record holder, Carl Hayden of Arizona, who served in the U.S. House and Senate for 57 years.
Byrd already holds the record for service in the U.S. Senate.
On Wednesday, Byrd will have been a senator for 50 years, 10 months and 18 days, in addition to his six years in the House.
During his career, Byrd has served alongside 12 different presidents. In 1976, he briefly considered running for president himself.
Byrd is the only West Virginian to serve in both houses of the U.S. Congress and the state Legislature.
Gov. Joe Manchin will host Wednesday's commemoration of Byrd's landmark achievement at the state Capitol. Members of the state Legislature, Byrd's staff and the public are all invited to attend.
"On Nov. 18, a West Virginian breaks all records and makes history," Manchin said. "Sen. Byrd sets the gold standard for what it means to be an outstanding public official, and this week he will reach a historic national milestone."
Ned Rose, a Charleston lawyer who managed Byrd's 2000 and 2006 re-election campaigns, called Byrd "an extraordinary combination of someone who works very hard and is a dedicated student of history, politics and government. He also has an almost-perfect memory -- not only of what he has learned, but of his own experiences."
Byrd's long service is a special asset, Rose believes.
"When the question of invading Iraq came about, how many members of Congress could remember voting for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and knew how that turned out?"
Passed by the Senate on Aug. 7, 1964, by a 98-2 vote, that resolution paved the way to escalating the Vietnam War. Byrd repeatedly expressed regrets for backing that resolution.
"Senator Byrd made a remarkable rise from humble beginnings," Rose said. "He is a genuinely nice man, a very kind person who spends all his time worrying about what is best for West Virginia and the people of the United States."
During his long career, Byrd set many records.
On June 12, 2006, Byrd became the longest-serving senator since the Senate first met on March 4, 1789. By that date, Byrd served 17,327 days, surpassing the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.
On Nov. 7, 2006, Byrd became the only person elected to nine full terms in the Senate.
On April 27, 1990, Byrd set a record for the most roll call votes, casting his 12,134th vote in the Senate.
Byrd previously cast 4,705 votes in a row -- the second-highest total in Senate history.
Byrd has served on a Senate Committee longer than anyone, becoming a member of the powerful U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on Jan. 14, 1959, just after becoming a senator. Byrd served as the committee's chair or ranking minority member since 1989.
On January 6, Byrd stepped down as chair. But he still sits on the committee that makes key decisions about federal spending.
Byrd has held more leadership positions than anyone else, including Senate majority leader, majority whip, minority leader and president pro tempore.
Byrd's unusual accomplishments also include:
Presiding over the Senate's shortest session, lasting six-tenths of one second on Feb. 27, 1989, and its longest continuous session, lasting 21 hours and eight minutes on March 7 and 8, 1960.
In 1970, Byrd became the first candidate to win all of West Virginia's 55 counties in an contested election, in which he got 78 percent of the vote.
Byrd is the only person to earn a law degree while in Congress. President John F. Kennedy personally handed Byrd his degree during 1963 graduation ceremonies at American University.
"The Almanac of American Politics," a widely consulted directory about federal politics, calls Byrd the politician who "may come closer to the kind of senator the Founding Fathers had in mind than any other."
Wednesday's celebration will begin at 3 p.m. in front of Byrd's statue on the second floor of the state Capitol under the rotunda.
In addition to Manchin and Rose, speakers will include: U.S. Circuit Court Judge M. Blane Michael; Anne Barth, who runs Byrd's offices in Charleston; and Ray Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University.
Following the ceremony, visitors can look at an exhibit featuring Byrd's accomplishments, including photographs and personal memorabilia, including one of his fiddles.
The ceremony and exhibit are free and open to the public.
Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.
Post a comment
The heck of it is, he waited until the country could not afford the pork before he became a/the major provider of consumable pork (monthly welfare check).