Robert Byrd Death
The longest-serving member in congress history has passed away aged 92. Democratic representative, Senior Byrd had been a member of the House of Representatives for 58 years and a senator for 51 years. The death of Senior Byrd will not change the majority in the senate, as the West Virginia governor Joe Manchin will serve the remainder of Senior Byrd’s term which expires in 2012.
Senior Byrd has been of ill health for a while now, and last week was taken to hospital with severe dehydration, however, his cause of death is not known.
In his long standing, Senior Byrd had not been shy of controversy, joining the Ku Klux Klan for a short while, and was also a member of a group who unsuccessful tried to stop the 1964 civil rights act. However, later on in his standing he apologized for his actions, and became an activist for civil rights, stating that intolerance had no place in America. He also disagreed with the Iraq war, because of the inevitable build up of the troops that a war of this size would bring.
Senior Byrd won an impressive ninth term in office back in 2006, and at the time of his death was one of America’s most respected senators.
Senior Byrd died peacefully at a hospital in Fairfax hospital just outside Washington in the USA. Clearly a man that was happy with his work, stating to Reuters that if he could live for another 100 years he would stay in the senate.
