U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who served longer and cast more votes than any senator in the nation’s history, died Monday at 92. He will be remembered for his knowledge and love of the U.S. Constitution, his fierce defense of the traditions and prerogatives of the Senate, and for his unparalleled ability to send federal dollars to his home state. His was a political life well-lived.
Mr. Byrd, raised in poverty, was not only the nation’s longest serving senator, he was also the longest serving member of Congress. He served six years in the House before entering the Senate. Mr. Byrd held variety of powerful Senate posts, including majority and minority leader, president pro tem and chairman of the Appropriations Committee. His tenure was marked by significant change in political outlook.
A member of the Ku Klux Klan briefly as a young man — an affiliation for which he repeatedly apologized — Sen. Byrd began Senate life as a rock-ribbed conservative. He filibustered for more than 14 hours against the Civil Rights Act and supported the Vietnam War. Later, he was a strong advocate of civil rights legislation and a fierce opponent of the Iraq War. His change in perspective is easily measured.
In 1964, Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal organization, reported that his views and the organization’s matched 16 percent of the time. In 2005, his ADA rating was 95.
There were areas in which Sen. Byrd did not change. His love of the Constitution and his defense of the Senate’s role under it remained strong. When someone would ask how many presidents Byrd had served under, his answer was always the same. “None,” he would reply. “I have served with presidents, not under them.” The distinction was important to him.