[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 115 (Monday, August 2, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6579-S6580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in appreciation and 
admiration of Senator Robert Byrd.
  By the time I took my seat in this Chamber, Senator Byrd had already 
held his for more than four decades. He had already held numerous 
leadership positions, including Senate majority leader and President 
pro tempore. He had already become a master of parliamentary procedure. 
He had already championed many Federal projects

[[Page S6580]]

that still bear his name in his home State of West Virginia.
  Senator Byrd won the admiration of all his colleagues for his study 
of the history of this body. He delivered hundreds of addresses on 
Senate history and procedure, as well as the debt we owe to the 
original Senate that governed Ancient Rome for centuries. For such 
work, Senator Byrd has earned the gratitude of all future generations 
of Americans.
  Texans especially appreciate Senator Byrd's attention to the 
contributions of our Senators to the history of this body. Senator Sam 
Houston, the original occupant of the seat I hold, was described by 
Senator Byrd in this way:

       The flamboyant Sam Houston of Texas used to stride into the 
     old Senate chamber wearing such eye-catching accessories as a 
     leopard-skin waist-coat, a bright red vest, or a Mexican 
     sombrero. . . . He would while away the time in the old 
     chamber by whittling, creating a pile of shavings beneath his 
     desk, and pages would bring him his pine blocks and then 
     clean up the shavings.

  Senator Byrd also devoted several speeches of his history to the 
tenure of Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, which were all collected into a 
single chapter upon publication. In personal interviews with then-
current and former Senators, Senator Byrd documents a remarkably 
personal account of Senator Johnson's leadership style and his 
influence over landmark legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 
1957.
  During his discussion of Senator Johnson's use of the quorum call, 
Senator Byrd was asked to yield by his friend, Senator Russell Long of 
Louisiana, who wished to clarify his own recollection of the matter. 
Senator Long then continued with a fitting tribute to the Senator from 
West Virginia:

       I have no doubt that in years to come, his will be the most 
     authoritative text anyone will be able to find to say what 
     did happen and what did not happen in the Senate, both while 
     the Senator from West Virginia was a member and in the years 
     prior thereto.

  I can offer no better epitaph to Senator Byrd than that offered by 
his former colleague more than two decades ago. He and his beloved Erma 
have now been reunited, and we offer our condolences to their children, 
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all who miss him most.

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