Robert Byrd

Robert Byrd b. 20 November 1917, Democrat , West Virginia , longest-serving member of the U.S. Congress

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• I will never fight under that banner with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.
  • Letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo in 1945 published in When Jim Crow Met John Bull, St. Martin's Press

• There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time.
  • Fox News Sunday 4 March 2001

• "I do question the motives of a deskbound President who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a speech."

About Robert Byrd

• "Robert Byrd is already recognized as an American icon. Without question, when history is written, Senator Byrd will hold a prominent place as a Senate legend."
  • Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee

• "Robert C. Byrd is truly a legend in his own time. He stands larger than life, not only for his accomplishments, but also for his principles."
  • Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota

• "Bob Byrd personifies what our Founding Fathers were thinking about when they were thinking about a United States Senate. He brings the kind of qualities that the Founding Fathers believed were so important for service to the Nation."
  • Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts

• "His number one priority has always been the people of West Virginia. It has been a great example for all of us to never lose sight of the fact that you are elected by the people from your State and the people in your State should have first priority."
  • Senator Harry Reid, D-Nevada

• "The final chapter in Robert Byrd's history is not likely to be written for some time, yet it is safe to say that he has set a standard as a Senator, as a legislative leader, and as a statesman that will stand among the best as long as there is a Senate."
  • Former Senator Bob Dole, R-Kansas

• There are still those people, like Senator Byrd, who exemplify the qualities of leadership strong personal character and a sense of virtues and principles that inspire others to greatness."
  • Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming

• "When future historians are writing about the 20th century Senate, Senator Robert Byrd will surely be remembers as one of the giants who followed in the footsteps of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster."
  • Former Republican Senator and now Governor of Alaska Frank Murkowski

• "It has been said that great men are like eagles. They do not flock together. You find them one at a time, soaring alone, using their skill and their strengths to reach new heights and to seek new horizons. Such a man and such an eagle is Robert Byrd."
  • Former Senator Sam Nunn, D-Georgia