Byrd served in the US House
of Representatives from 1952 until 1959, then became a senator.
The Senate Democratic Media Center posted this short video tribute to Byrd.
Ray Smock,director of the
Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University, and Rob
Rupp, professor of history and political science at West Virginia Wesleyan
College have followed Senator Byrd’s long political career.
“I think it’s significant
because no other state in the union besides West Virginia has seen fit to elect
a senator for nine consecutive terms, this is unprecedented in history of the
United States,” Smock said.
“The importance is Byrd, a
man who loves history, has made history by serving so long,” Rupp said.
And Rupp believes Byrd’s
record will not be duplicated in the rest of American history.
“It is hard to imagine
anyone now sitting in Congress that would be around in 2059,” Rupp said.
Smock said Byrd has been
able to survive in Congress because he’s changed with the times.
Smock points to Byrd’s brief membership in
the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940's and his opposition to the 1965 Civil Rights Act.
“And he certainly was on the
opposite side of a lot of members of his own party in the 1960’s,” Smock said.
“But then he changed as the country changed and he embraced that change and I
think that’s one of the reasons that he was successfully able to make the
transition and continue to be elected.”
Rupp said even though
Senator Byrd has lived in the Washington D.C. area for more than 50 years, he
stayed in touch with the people in West
Virginia who elected him.
“I’ve watched too many
politicians go off the Washington and change,” Rupp said.
“But I think that’s
the one thing that was intrinsically part of Byrd, that he did not want wealth
or trappings so there was a modesty about him that I think the voters see as
genuine, and it is genuine.”
When Byrd took over the
chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 1989 he announced he
wanted to become West Virginia’s billion dollar industry.
And Smock points out that
Byrd was working to bring highway
money to the state long before that.
But Byrd’s ability to steer
money to his home state is not
appreciated by all.
“Oh he’s been called the
king of pork and all kinds of designations,” Smock said. “I think Senator Byrd
sees himself as an appropriator and he takes that job very seriously and he’s
incredibly proud of all the things he’s been able to do for West Virginia.”
But Rupp said Byrd’s
contribution goes beyond the money he’s gotten for roads, buildings and water
systems. Byrd has also contributed to the state’s education infrastructure.
“He founded the Teaching
American History Grants which are the first time federal funds are being used
to support professional development in American history,” Rupp said.
“We often
focus on the roads that he helped build without noticing that among his other
accomplishments was his funding of American history.”
On Friday Senator Byrd
celebrates his 92nd birthday. Smock said despite some ill health in the past two years Byrd continues
to achieve milestones.
Smock recalls when Senator
Byrd's 800-page autobiography came out
five years ago.
Smock said Byrd waved
the book over his head and said “the title of this book is 'Robert C. Byrd: Child Of The Appalachian Coalfields.'” and
he paused and said “I call it volume one.”
“And he's still five years
later continuing to make history and continuing to work
on volume two,” Smock said.