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'''Robert Carlyle Byrd''', 20 November, 1917 - 28 June, 2010, was a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator from [[West Virginia]]. He was the oldest member of [[Congress]] at his death at age 92, [[President pro tempore]] of the US Senate, and was the longest-serving [[Senator]] in history, having been first elected in 1958.  

'''Robert Carlyle Byrd''', 20 November 1917 - 28 June 2010, was a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator from [[West Virginia]]. He was the oldest member of [[Congress]] at his death at age 92, [[President pro tempore]] of the US Senate, and was the longest-serving [[Senator]] in history, having been first elected in 1958.  

Byrd twice held the position of Senate Democratic Leader, was a crucial 60th vote in holding a filibuster-proof Senate in 2009, and remained a Democratic Party legend and icon until the end. He was third in line to the [[President of the United States|Presidency]] behind [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]] and [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[Nancy Pelosi]].

Byrd twice held the position of Senate Democratic Leader, was a crucial 60th vote in holding a filibuster-proof Senate in 2009, and remained a Democratic Party legend and icon until the end. He was third in line to the [[President of the United States|Presidency]] behind [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]] and [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[Nancy Pelosi]].

Byrd first joined the [[Ku Klux Klan]] in the 1940s and attained the rank of Exalted Cyclops, the leader of the local chapter of the organization.<ref>Pianin, Eric. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/18/AR2005061801105_pf.html A Senator's Shame: Byrd, in His New Book, Again Confronts Early Ties to KKK]. Washington Post, 2005-06-19, pp. A01</ref> He repeatedly expressed his desire for the Klan to expand to its previous size and power, once remarking in a letter that "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the nation." <ref>King, Colbert I. [http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2003/commentary/works/king2.html Sen. Byrd: The view from Darrell's barbershop], Washington Post, March 2, 2002</ref>

Byrd first joined the [[Ku Klux Klan]] in the 1940s and attained the rank of Exalted Cyclops, the leader of the local chapter of the organization.<ref>Pianin, Eric. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/18/AR2005061801105_pf.html A Senator's Shame: Byrd, in His New Book, Again Confronts Early Ties to KKK]. Washington Post, 2005-06-19, pp. A01</ref> He repeatedly expressed his desire for the Klan to expand to its previous size and power, once remarking in a letter that "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the nation." <ref>King, Colbert I. [http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2003/commentary/works/king2.html Sen. Byrd: The view from Darrell's barbershop], Washington Post, March 2, 2002</ref>

Byrd commented on the 1945 controversy raging over the idea of racially integrating the military. In his book When ''Jim Crow Met John Bull'',  Graham Smith referred to a letter written that year by Byrd, when he was 28 years old, to [[Segregation|segregationist]] Senator Theodore Bilbo of [[Mississippi]], in which Byrd vowed never to fight:

Byrd commented on the 1945 controversy raging over the idea of racially integrating the military. In his book When ''Jim Crow Met John Bull'',  Graham Smith referred to a letter written that year by Byrd, when he was 28 years old, to [[segregation]]ist Senator Theodore Bilbo of [[Mississippi]], in which Byrd vowed never to fight:

{{Cquote|Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.}}

{{Cquote|Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.}}

{{Cquote|I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side}}

{{Cquote|I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side}}

By the 1950s, he was no longer publicly involved with the Ku Klux Klan. In recent years Byrd has made public statements about poor choices he made, and like [[Strom Thurmond]], (who at one time ran on a segregationist platform) says he regrets being involved with the group. However, he was involved in a controversy in 2001 over his use of a racial epithet as part of a metaphor during an interview on race relations by [[Tony Snow]]. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FIBJt-c2o0</ref>

By the 1950s, he was no longer publicly involved with the Ku Klux Klan. In recent years Byrd has made public statements about poor choices he made, and like [[Strom Thurmond]], (who at one time ran on a segregationist platform) says he regrets being involved with the group. However, he was involved in a controversy in 2001 over his use of a racial epithet as part of a metaphor during an interview on race relations by [[Tony Snow]].<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FIBJt-c2o0</ref>

==Congressional Service==

==Congressional Service==

In the 1960 Presidential election primaries, Byrd, a close Senate ally of [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], tried and failed to derail the Democratic front-runner and ultimately successful candidate [[John F. Kennedy]] in the crucial West Virginia [[primary election|primary]].

In the 1960 Presidential election primaries, Byrd, a close Senate ally of [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], tried and failed to derail the Democratic front-runner and ultimately successful candidate [[John F. Kennedy]] in the crucial West Virginia [[primary election|primary]].

On November 7, 2006, Byrd was elected to an unprecedented ninth consecutive term in the Senate. He became the longest-serving senator in American history on June 12, 2006, surpassing [[Strom Thurmond]] of [[South Carolina]] with 17,327 days of service.<ref>[http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/053106/news2.html The Hill]</ref> Previously, he already held the record for the longest unbroken tenure in the Senate (Thurmond served 48 years in total, but vacated the office between April and November of 1956). Counting his tenure as a West Virginia state legislator from 1947 to 1953, Byrd has served as an elected official for almost 60 years ''and never lost an election''. Byrd has cast a total of 17,745 votes as of September 13, 2006 — the most of any senator in history. Upon the death of Senator [[George Smathers]] of Florida on January 20, 2007 — Byrd became the last living United States Senator from the 1950s.<ref>[http://senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/three_column_table/10000_or_more_votes.htm U.S. Senate]</ref> This means that not only has Byrd outlived every other Senator who had seniority over him, but he is the only person to ever have remained in the Senate the entire time while doing it. He is on pace to pass [[Carl Hayden]] of [[Arizona]] as the longest-serving member of Congress (House and Senate tenure combined) in American history sometime in early 2010. Byrd is the last remaining Senator to have voted on a statehood bill and has served longer in the Senate than eight of his colleagues have been alive (those being [[Bob Casey, Jr.]], [[Amy Klobuchar]], [[Blanche Lincoln]], [[John Thune]], [[David Vitter]], [[Barack Obama]], [[Mark Pryor]], and [[John E. Sununu]]).

On November 7, 2006, Byrd was elected to an unprecedented ninth consecutive term in the Senate. He became the longest-serving senator in American history on June 12, 2006, surpassing [[Strom Thurmond]] of [[South Carolina]] with 17,327 days of service.<ref>[http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/053106/news2.html The Hill]</ref> Previously, he already held the record for the longest unbroken tenure in the Senate (Thurmond served 48 years in total, but vacated the office between April and November 1956). Counting his tenure as a West Virginia state legislator from 1947 to 1953, Byrd has served as an elected official for almost 60 years ''and never lost an election''. Byrd has cast a total of 17,745 votes as of September 13, 2006 — the most of any senator in history. Upon the death of Senator [[George Smathers]] of Florida on January 20, 2007 — Byrd became the last living United States Senator from the 1950s.<ref>[http://senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/three_column_table/10000_or_more_votes.htm U.S. Senate]</ref> This means that not only has Byrd outlived every other Senator who had seniority over him, but he is the only person to ever have remained in the Senate the entire time while doing it. He is on pace to pass [[Carl Hayden]] of [[Arizona]] as the longest-serving member of Congress (House and Senate tenure combined) in American history sometime in early 2010. Byrd is the last remaining Senator to have voted on a statehood bill and has served longer in the Senate than eight of his colleagues have been alive (those being [[Bob Casey, Jr.]], [[Amy Klobuchar]], [[Blanche Lincoln]], [[John Thune]], [[David Vitter]], [[Barack Obama]], [[Mark Pryor]], and [[John E. Sununu]]).

Byrd was, at his death, the chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations]]. Byrd was first appointed to the committee by then-Majority Leader [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] when he first entered the Senate in 1959. Since [[1989]], he has been the committee's top Democrat and has chaired the committee when the Democrats have control of the Senate. Byrd is also a member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]], the [[United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration|Committee on Rules and Administration]] and the [[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]].

Byrd was, at his death, the chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations]]. Byrd was first appointed to the committee by then-Majority Leader [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] when he first entered the Senate in 1959. Since [[1989]], he has been the committee's top Democrat and has chaired the committee when the Democrats have control of the Senate. Byrd is also a member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]], the [[United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration|Committee on Rules and Administration]] and the [[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]].

In 2007, after serving in the Senate for nearly 50 years, and holding several prominent Committee chairmanships and Leadership posts, as Appropriations Chairman in the [[110th Congress]], Byrd finally required Democratic staff on his committee to provide him with a detailed disclosure of any direct or indirect [[conflicts of interest]] they may have as a result of actions taken by the panel. <ref>[http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_147/news/19169-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Byrd Issues Tougher Staff Conflict Rules], By John Stanton, ''Roll Call'', June 27, 2007.</ref>

In 2007, after serving in the Senate for nearly 50 years, and holding several prominent Committee chairmanships and Leadership posts, as Appropriations Chairman in the [[110th Congress]], Byrd finally required Democratic staff on his committee to provide him with a detailed disclosure of any direct or indirect [[conflicts of interest]] they may have as a result of actions taken by the panel.<ref>[http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_147/news/19169-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS Byrd Issues Tougher Staff Conflict Rules], By John Stanton, ''Roll Call'', June 27, 2007.</ref>

===Filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964===

===Filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964===

Byrd joined with other [[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Border states (Civil War)|border state]] Democrats to [[filibuster]] the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], personally filibustering the bill for 14 hours — a move he now says he regrets.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0228-07.htm Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act], Associate Press, 2006-02-28.</ref> Despite an 83 day [[filibuster]] in the Senate, both parties in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Act, and President Johnson signed the bill into law.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_Rights_Filibuster_Ended.htm  U.S. Senate, June 10, 1964: Civil Rights Filibuster Ended]</ref> He also opposed the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], but voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]]. In 2005, Byrd told the ''Washington Post'' that his membership in the [[Baptist]] church led to a change in his views. In the opinion of one reviewer, Byrd, along with other Southern and border state Democrats, came to realize that he would have to temper "his blatantly [[racial segregation|segregationist]] views" and move to the Democratic Party mainstream if he wanted to play a role nationally.

Byrd joined with other [[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Border states (Civil War)|border state]] Democrats to [[filibuster]] the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], personally filibustering the bill for 14 hours — a move he now says he regrets.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0228-07.htm Byrd Says He Regrets Voting For Patriot Act], Associate Press, 2006-02-28.</ref> Despite an 83 day [[filibuster]] in the Senate, both parties in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Act, and President Johnson signed the bill into law.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_Rights_Filibuster_Ended.htm  U.S. Senate, June 10, 1964: Civil Rights Filibuster Ended]</ref> He also opposed the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], but voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]]. In 2005, Byrd told the ''Washington Post'' that his membership in the [[Baptist]] church led to a change in his views. In the opinion of one reviewer, Byrd, along with other Southern and border state Democrats, came to realize that he would have to temper "his blatantly [[racial segregation|segregationist]] views" and move to the Democratic Party mainstream if he wanted to play a role nationally.

==External Links==

==External links==

*[http://byrd.senate.gov/ Official Site]

*[http://byrd.senate.gov/ Official Site]

*[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Robert_Byrd.htm Byrd on Issues]

*[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Robert_Byrd.htm Byrd on Issues]

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[[Category:Former United States Senators]]

[[Category:Former United States Senators]]

[[Category:Democratic Party]]

[[Category:Democratic Party]]