[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 98 (Monday, June 28, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5499-S5501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, my heart is heavy with sadness following
the passing of a dear friend, Robert C. Byrd, Senator from West
Virginia.
We have been friends for nearly 50 years and I am overcome with
memories. Nearly 48 years ago Senator Byrd was one of the first to
greet me in the Chamber of the U.S. Senate.
Since that first moment of friendship we have worked together on many
projects. And since those early days, I have called him, ``my leader.''
He was my mentor. Over the years he provided me countless
opportunities and tasked me with positions of critical national
oversight while guiding my actions with the temperance he learned as
the longest serving Senator in history.
He was a Senator's Senator. His many accomplishments were historic
and he fought tirelessly to improve the lives of working families in
West Virginia. We shared the belief that we must provide for the people
who trust us to represent their communities in Washington.
I owe much to my leader, Senator Byrd. He will forever have my
gratitude and respect and I will miss him dearly. My thoughts and
prayers are with the Byrd family during this difficult time.
Mr. President, as America mourns, I ask my colleagues to join me in
paying tribute to Senator Byrd.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I know several colleagues have come to the
floor today to note the passing of a giant among us, Robert Byrd. I
want to take a moment here to speak straight from the heart about
Robert Byrd and my experience working with him. As we look at his desk
with the flowers there, we of course think back to not too long ago
when we lost another giant, Ted Kennedy. I think what distinguishes
these two from others is their unbelievable, undying commitment to the
people they represented and to this country.
I think, when all is said and done, that is what it is about. It is
not about how long you serve. Of course, in the case of both Senator
Kennedy and Senator Byrd, it was so long. Senator Byrd made history as
the longest serving Senator, and that should be duly noted. But it is
well beyond that. It is about this fierce sense of ``fight for your
people'' that they both had.
When I came to the Senate, of course Robert C. Byrd was a legend for
sure. He always met with the incoming Senators, to give them the rules
of the road about procedure, about how to conduct yourself when you
were in the chair, about the dignity of the Senate, and most of all
about reverence for the Constitution. As many know and many saw, the
image I will always have of Robert C. Byrd is of him reaching inside
his suit pocket and bringing out the Constitution--which, along with
the Bible, was what he cherished most. He taught us that everything we
do here comes from the Founders, and he taught us to love and respect
the Constitution and he did it in a way that was truly inspiring.
I can tell you, coming from the largest State in the Union, we have
our share of problems. We have floods and fires and droughts, we have
pests in our agricultural industry, we have problem after problem--
earthquakes, need I say that? Every single time we had one of these
disasters, Senator Feinstein and I knew we had to go to our colleagues
and say: Please understand, California needs the help of the U.S.
Government because the damage is so massive. Of course, we all do that
whenever our State has a problem, because we are the United States of
America.
However, there are times when you do not have an ear that is
listening. Senator Byrd, as the chairman of the Appropriations
Committee, opened his doors to us, opened his heart to us, opened his
experience to us, and was always there for us. I so remember that, time
after time.
I went to see him about our water problems. We have lots of water
problems. We have cities and suburbs that need the water. We have
fishermen who need the water. We have agriculture that needs the water.
All the stakeholders have very difficult debates over water. Senator
Feinstein and I again have teamed up on this and we have always had a
willing listener in Robert C. Byrd, who understood and helped us get
the stakeholders to the table to find ways to preserve, to conserve,
and increase the supply in a smart way for all those stakeholders.
These things are very big to the people of California, who probably
have not connected Robert Byrd to California. But in all of these cases
where we were so in need, he was there for us.
I remember so well his leadership in trying to bring the troops home
from Iraq. Twenty-three of us stood up and said no to that war because
we thought it meant taking our eye off Osama bin Laden and what was
happening in Afghanistan and turning around and going into Iraq. We
worried very much
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about what would happen with our troops and that it would be a very
long war and there was no exit strategy.
Senator Byrd organized us and he opened his office here in the
Capitol and said we need to talk about ways that we can bring this war
to the end. We need to organize and we need to talk about what is
happening to our troops. He cared so much. For me, to have been in his
presence and to watch him work has been an amazing experience. So I
rise to pay tribute to him.
He has so many wonderful family members who care so much about him.
When he lost his wife, it took a huge toll on Robert Byrd, and you saw
it in his face. A light went out inside. His grandchildren and children
stepped up, but that hole in his heart was there. It was evident to all
of us. He stayed here through thick and thin, came in--wheeled in, in a
wheelchair, fading, suffering, to be in this place that he loved so
much, so much; that he respected so much.
I say, and I know, there is not a Member on either side of the aisle
who did not respect Robert C. Byrd for his brilliance, for his
strength, for his fierce representation of his State and, by the way,
for his extraordinary biography, coming up the way he did. Talk about
the American dream--a child of dire poverty, close to the mines. He
always fought for those miners. What a legacy he leaves.
I don't have any notes in front of me. I am speaking from the heart
today. I will have a more complete statement, but I did want to make my
views known today and send my condolences to the family. It is a great
loss for everyone.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise with a heavy heart to pay tribute
to our friend and colleague who died early this morning, Senator Robert
C. Byrd, the longest serving Member in the illustrious history of the
U.S. Congress, the longest serving Senator, and the only Senator in
U.S. history elected to nine full terms. Considering that Senator Byrd
won his first election, to the West Virginia House of Delegates, in
1946, it may be that he was the longest serving elected official in
history. His passing is a profound loss to all Americans, to his
beloved constituents in West Virginia, and particularly to the
institution of the U.S. Senate and those of us who serve here. The
Senate had no greater champion than Robert Byrd, no one with his
understanding of the Senate's unique character, role, promise, history,
and parliamentary procedures.
When Robert Byrd was elected to the Senate in 1958, after serving in
the House for 6 years, he was part of a large, distinguished class that
included such future giants as Hugh Scott, Gene McCarthy, Edmund
Muskie, and Philip Hart. He surpassed them all.
According to the Senate Historical Office, Robert Byrd was the
1,579th person to become a U.S. Senator. Since he was elected to the
Senate, another 335 individuals have become U.S. Senators. All in all,
Robert Byrd served with over 400 other Senators. And I am certain that
each one of them held their colleague, as I do, in the highest esteem.
Senator Byrd's modest beginnings in the hard-scrabble coal fields of
Appalachia are well known. After his mother died during the 1918 flu
pandemic, Senator Byrd went to live with an aunt and uncle who adopted
him and raised him in a house without running water or electricity. He
pumped gas and butchered hogs. During World War II, he was a welder and
built cargo ships in Baltimore and Tampa Bay. After the war, he
successfully ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates and, 4 years
later, the State's senate, before entering Congress in 1953. All in
all, he ran for and was elected to office 15 times--not counting
primaries--without suffering a single defeat. Suffice it to say that
his life is the quintessential American success story. I think every
young American should learn about Senator Byrd's life as an example of
what hard work and persistence and devotion can accomplish in this
country. He understood better than most people the importance of being
educated, not just for embarking on a successful career, but as an end
to itself. He was well-read and could recite from memory long passages
from the Bible, and from great poets and authors. He was a fine
historian, not just of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Senate, but of
ancient Greece and Rome and England.
Senator Byrd married his high school sweetheart, Erma Ora James,
shortly after they both graduated from Mark Twain High School--where he
was valedictorian--in 1937. He was too poor to afford college right
away and wouldn't receive his degree from Marshall University until 60
years later--when he was 77. In between, he did something no other
Member of Congress has ever done: he enrolled in law school--at
American University--and in 10 years of part-time study while serving
as a Member of Congress, he completed his law degree, which President
John Kennedy presented to him. Senator Byrd was married to his beloved
Erma for nearly 69 years, and was blessed with two daughters, six
grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
During his Senate tenure, Robert Byrd was elected to more leadership
positions than any other Senator in history, including majority and
minority leader, whip, and President pro tempore. He cast 18,689
rollcall votes. Only 29 other Senators in the history of the Republic
have cast more than 10,000 votes; Strom Thurmond is the only other
Senator to cast more than 16,000 votes. Senator Byrd's attendance
record over five decades--97 percent--is as impressive as the sheer
number of votes he cast.
Senator Byrd's legislative accomplishments, from economic development
and transportation to education and health care, are legendary. He
steered the Panama Canal Treaty through the Senate and waged a lonely
battle against the war in Iraq, leading an unsuccessful filibuster
against the resolution granting President George W. Bush broad power to
wage a preemptive war against Iraq. He claimed that his vote against
the Iraq war resolution was the vote of which he was most proud for
having cast over the course of his career. When U.S. military strikes
on Iraq commenced on March 19, 2003, he stated:
Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of
recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image
of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The
image of America has changed. Around the globe, our
friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions
are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom
we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten
recrimination.
Senator Byrd was unabashedly determined to use his power as a Senator
and as the chairman or ranking member of the Appropriations Committee
to help lift his State out of grinding poverty. And he delivered for
his constituents. It is no surprise, then, that he won 100 percent of
the vote of West Virginians in one election--1976--or frequently
carried all 55 of West Virginia's counties. And while he fervently
supported the coal industry, he recognized the devastating
environmental and social impact of mountaintop removal mining
techniques and he called for an end to that practice.
In the meantime, he wrote five books, including the definitive
history of the U.S. Senate.
Perhaps the highest tribute to Senator Byrd can be found in his
biographical section of the Almanac of American Politics, which states:
``Robert Byrd . . . may come closest to the kind of senator the
Founding Fathers had in mind than any other.'' His fealty to the U.S.
Senate and to the Constitution has served as an inspiration, a lesson,
and a guiding light to all of us who have been privileged to follow him
in this Chamber.
In the last 10 months, we have lost two towering figures here in the
Senate: Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd--one of the Senate's greatest
legislators and without doubt its greatest defender. Former Senator
Paul Sarbanes, whose seat I am privileged to hold, remarked that
Senator Byrd liked to say that he never served under any President, but
was honored to serve with many Presidents. We can honor these twin
giants by carrying on their legacies, by fighting to make America a
better place for all Americans, and by defending the Senate's role as a
co-equal, not subservient, branch of government.
When Senator Byrd became the longest serving Member of Congress last
November, I quoted Robert E. Lee in my floor statement. Lee said:
Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty
in all things.
[[Page S5501]]
You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.
Senator Robert C. Byrd has done his duty in all things--to the
Senate, to himself, to his family, to his State, to his Nation, and to
God.
I am honored to join his and my colleagues here in the Senate, West
Virginians, and all Americans in mourning the death, celebrating the
life, and paying tribute to this great Senator and this great man.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 572) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 572
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd served the people of
his beloved state of West Virginia for over 63 years, serving
in the West Virginia House of Delegates, the West Virginia
Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the
United States Senate;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd is the only West
Virginian to have served in both Houses of the West Virginia
Legislature and in both Houses of the United States Congress;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has served for fifty-
one years in the United States Senate and is the longest
serving Senator in history, having been elected to nine full
terms;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has cast more than
18,680 rollcall votes--more than any other Senator in
American history;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has served in the
Senate leadership as President pro tempore, Majority Leader,
Majority Whip, Minority Leader, and Secretary of the Majority
Conference;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has served on a
Senate committee, the Committee on Appropriations, which he
has chaired during five Congresses, longer than any other
Senator; and
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd is the first Senator
to have authored a comprehensive history of the United States
Senate;
Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has played an
essential role in the development and enactment of an
enormous body of national legislative initiatives and policy
over many decades: Whereas his death has deprived his State
and Nation of an outstanding lawmaker and public servant:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable Robert C. Byrd, Senator from the State of West
Virginia.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the
deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased Senator.
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