Changes

|name=Robert Byrd

|name=Robert Byrd

|image=Byrd_formal_smile_highres.jpg‎

|image=Byrd_formal_smile_highres.jpg‎

|party=[[Democrat]]

|party=[[Democrat Party|Democrat]]

|spouse=Erma Ora Byrd (deceased)

|spouse=Erma Ora Byrd (deceased)

|religion=[[Baptist]]

|religion=[[Baptist]]

}}

}}

'''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''' (November 20, 1917 - June 28, 2010) was a [[Democrat Party|Democrat]] 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 Democrat Leader, was a crucial 60th vote in holding a filibuster-proof Senate in 2009, and remained a Democrat 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]].

==Klan Membership==

==Klan Membership==

While Byrd faced vigorous Republican opposition in the past, he has not faced truly serious opposition since freshman congressman Cleve Benedict ran against him in 1982. He has since won by comfortable margins. Despite his tremendous popularity in the state, he has only run unopposed once, in 1976. On two other occasions — in 1994 and 2000 — he carried all 55 of West Virginia's counties. In his reelection bid in 2000, he won all but seven of West Virginia's precincts. [[Shelley Moore Capito]], a Congresswoman and the daughter of one of Byrd's longtime foes—former Governor [[Arch A. Moore, Jr.|Arch Moore, Jr.]]—briefly weighed a challenge to Byrd in 2006, but decided against it.

While Byrd faced vigorous Republican opposition in the past, he has not faced truly serious opposition since freshman congressman Cleve Benedict ran against him in 1982. He has since won by comfortable margins. Despite his tremendous popularity in the state, he has only run unopposed once, in 1976. On two other occasions — in 1994 and 2000 — he carried all 55 of West Virginia's counties. In his reelection bid in 2000, he won all but seven of West Virginia's precincts. [[Shelley Moore Capito]], a Congresswoman and the daughter of one of Byrd's longtime foes—former Governor [[Arch A. Moore, Jr.|Arch Moore, Jr.]]—briefly weighed a challenge to Byrd in 2006, but decided against it.

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 Democrat 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 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 served as an elected official for almost 60 years ''and never lost an election''. Byrd 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 did Byrd outlive 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 surpassed [[Carl Hayden]] of [[Arizona]] as the longest-serving member of Congress (House and Senate tenure combined) in American history in early 2010. Byrd was 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 was the committee's top Democrat and had chaired the committee when the Democrats had control of the Senate. Byrd was 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 Democrat 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 later said he regretted.<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 Democrat Party mainstream if he wanted to play a role nationally.

==External links==

==External links==