Sen. Robert Byrd Dead at 92

West Virginian served in Congress since 1952
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2010 4:58 AM CDT
Updated Jun 28, 2010 7:52 AM CDT
Sen. Robert Byrd Dead at 92
FILE - This Oct. 27, 1958 file photo shows then-Rep. Robert C. Byrd.   (AP Photo, File)

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd died early this morning at the age of 92. The longest-serving senator in US history, Byrd was a conservative Democrat known for his fiery oratory and his skill at steering federal funds to battle poverty in his home state. Byrd was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1952 and moved to the Senate 6 years later. He was in frail health in recent years, hospitalized repeatedly and confined to a wheelchair, but he managed to vote for the health care reform bill in March, MSNBC reports.

The long-time chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he used his post skillfully and brazenly to amass power in the Senate. "Bob is a living encyclopedia, and legislative graveyards are filled with the bones of those who underestimated him," former House Speaker Jim Wright, D-Texas, once said of him.
(More Robert Byrd stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X