Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92

Right on the heels of Martin Ginsburg, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Senator Robert Byrd. Senator Byrd served 51 years in the US Senate, longer than anyone else in history. The New York Times ran his obituary yesterday.

His West Virginia constituents loved him for his constant battling to provide his impoverished state with much needed federal funds. When hearing of the Senator’s passing, President Obama said, “America has lost a voice of principle and reason.”

He was born into the poverty that is so common in his home state, but through incredible efforts he educated himself until he could afford a top notch education. And for that he deserves our utmost respect.

Byrd’s history is not without controversy, his troubled history with civil rights legislation is well documented, but he was a dedicated Senator who struggled with the beliefs and mores of his generation. He backed civil rights legislation consistently only after becoming a party leader in the Senate.

Read his full obituary here.

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