[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 101 (Thursday, July 1, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE DEATH 
   OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT C. BYRD, A SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST 
                                VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 29, 2010

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the memory of 
United States Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia.
  Born in West Virginia, I have known Senator Byrd my whole life. 
Senator Byrd faithfully served West Virginia in Congress for more than 
57 years. Throughout his career in the House and the Senate, he 
improved the lives and welfare of the people of West Virginia for whom 
he cared so much. He worked endlessly to fight for democratic 
principles, defend the Constitution, and ensure that the American Dream 
was in reach for all families.
  Senator Byrd grew up in the southern coalfields of West Virginia, 
first working as a gas station attendant briefly and then in a local 
food market. He started his political career in the West Virginia House 
of Delegates, serving from 1947 to 1950, followed by two years in the 
West Virginia Senate. After being elected to the U.S. House of 
Representatives in 1952, he enrolled in night law school classes 
despite not having a bachelor's degree. In 1958, West Virginia elected 
him to the U.S. Senate where he became its longest-serving member.
  Senator Byrd was an energetic defender of the U.S. Senate as an 
institution, persistently seeking to preserve its dignity and 
traditions. He literally wrote the book on the Senate--a four-volume 
history of the institution that is a treasure. To read his books and to 
read his speeches is to see Senator Byrd as a self-taught great orator 
and historian, someone who could readily quote from Shakespeare, Greek 
tragedies, and the King James Bible.
  I always will remember him for his extraordinary devotion and service 
to the people of West Virginia. He paid exceptional attention to his 
constituents and their individual concerns. Staff members told me that 
at night they would receive calls at home from the Senator, quizzing 
them on people who had signed his guestbook that day and asking how he 
could help them. He would recognize people in a crowd and ask them if 
his constituent service to them years before took care of their 
problem.
  My thoughts and condolences go out to his daughters, his family, and 
all of his friends and neighbors in West Virginia. Senator Byrd 
dedicated every day of his service in the U.S. Congress to 
strengthening the institution and the country that he loved so deeply.
  He will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace with his beloved wife 
Erma.