Senator Robert Byrd Dead at 92

Dean of Senate was Champion of the U.S. Constitution.

Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia has died at age 92. He was the longest-serving member of Congress. The nine-term Democrat died peacefully Monday at 3 a.m. at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia.

Byrd was best known for his fierce defense of the Constitution and the institution of the Senate. The Almanac of American Politics has stated that Byrd "may come closer to the kind of senator the Founding Fathers had in mind than any other." Senators from both parties have paid tribute to Byrd´s devotion to the Constitution. He endeavored to make sure that the wisdom of the Constitution´s Framers is not forgotten and that the people´s liberties are protected.

During his tenure, his colleagues elected him to more leadership positions than any other Senator in history. At the time of his death, Byrd was the President pro tempore, or the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Senate and the highest-ranking Senator in the majority party. He served as the senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, and was the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Byrd also served on the Senate Budget, Armed Services, and Rules and Administration Committees.

Throughout his career, Byrd cast more than 18,680 roll call votes -- more votes than any other Senator in American history -- compiling a 97 percent attendance record in his more than five decades of service in the Senate.

Thousands of new jobs were created because of Senator Byrd´s initiatives and new industries have taken root in the areas of biometrics, aerospace research, advanced manufacturing, computer research, and defense innovations. And traditional industries -- coal and energy, chemicals, steel continued to serve as the economic backbone in his home state of West Virginia.

Byrd´s efforts did not stop with new industry and economic opportunity. He worked to expand access to health care for tens of thousands of West Virginians. The Health Sciences Center and the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, both at West Virginia University, the Center for Rural Health at Marshall University, and the West Virginia School for Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg are utilizing innovation to bring doctors and nurses closer to people in rural West Virginia. And specialized treatments, created in the Mountain State through Byrd´s Senate work, helped ensure that West Virginians do not have to drive out of state for cutting-edge health care.

Growing up in Raleigh County, Byrd not only learned the values that have guided him in his life, but that is where he also met his life´s love, Erma Ora James. They both attended Mark Twain High School and married shortly after graduation in 1937. For nearly 69 years, the Byrds were inseparable, traveling the hills and hollows of West Virginia and crossing the globe together. Mrs. Byrd passed away on March 25, 2006 after battling a long illness.

Robert Byrd could not afford college. His diploma from Marshall University would have to wait until 60 years after high school, when Senator Byrd was 77 years old. In between high school and his undergraduate degree, Byrd enrolled in law school and, after 10 years of classes taken while also serving as a Member of Congress, Senator Byrd earned his law degree from American University in 1963.

Knowing the importance of education, Senator Byrd helped thousands of young people earn their own college diploma. Through the Scholastic Recognition Award, which the Senator started in 1969, the valedictorian at each West Virginia public and private high school receives a savings bond and a special congratulations from the Senator. Then, in 1985, Byrd launched the first and only federal merit-based scholarship. Since its inception, tens of thousands of students across the country have helped to pay their tuition bills through this unique initiative.

At an early age, Byrd learned to play the fiddle, and he carried it with him everywhere. He played in churches, homes, and hamlets throughout Southern West Virginia. While campaigning for political office he made his fiddle case his briefcase. His skill with the instrument helped to get people's attention on the stump, and eventually led to performances at the Kennedy Center and on national television. Byrd even recorded his own album, Mountain Fiddler. And in October 2008, Byrd was on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry as he was presented with the Dr. Perry F. Harris Distinguished Fiddler Award for his fiddle-playing passion.

If his West Virginia values defined Senator Byrd, then the Constitution of the United States gave him a foundation to fight for liberty and freedom. Always close to his heart, the Constitution guided Byrd. Its words and wisdom served as the foundation for his fierce defense of principle and of the people´s liberties.

From his humble beginnings to the halls of power, Robert Byrd never forgot where he came from. He was a statesman, a patriot, a defender of the Constitution, a proud son of West Virginia, and one of the most important leaders in America.

Senator Byrd was the author of five books: The Senate, 1789-1989. 4 volumes, Vols. 1 and 2, Addresses on the History of the United States Senate; Vol. 3, Classic Speeches, 1830 - 1993; Vol. 4, Historical Statistics, 1789 - 1992. Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994; The Senate of the Roman Republic: Addresses on the History of Roman Constitutionalism. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994; Losing America: Confronting A Reckless and Arrogant Presidency. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004; Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2005; and co-author with Steve Kettmann, Letter to a New President. New York: St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.