The single most awe-inspiring fact about Byrd I've heard

[ButterflyBlood]

He was the last surviving Senator from the 50s, the last one before him dying in 2007. He not only stayed in office longer than any of his colleagues at the time, he outlived them all.

Meaning that before today, he was still in the Senate while every single person he served with when he entered it was dead.

I mean wow that's quite amazing. We lost a serious part of America today.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. wow.... Lawrence O'Donnel has some very kind and generous things to say about Sen Byrd on Keith's

show tonight..Try to catch it, or the video if you missed it.

[hedgehog]

2. Byrd's mother died of the influenza on Armistice Day, 1918.

I have a hard time of thinking of WWI as that long ago. I met my great-uncle Timothy, a veteran of the Spanish-American War at several family funerals when I was a kid. BTW - although I don't know if he served in the Philippines, Cuba or Puerto Rico, his comment about that war was that he didn't know why it ever happened, that the people there were so poor it was a crime to be fighting them. (and this comment came from the son of survivor of the Great Hunger.)

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Wasn't the Spanish-Americna war the one that Hearst almost singlehandedly created with

his newspapers?

[Ter]

3. He outlived him,

But Strom Thurmond was a bit older, lasting until 100. I believe he also had a longer political career.

[struggle4progress]

4. Thurmond was elected to the Senate in 54 and declined to run again in 02, so

served 48 years

Byrd was elected to the Senate in 58 and served until now, so served just under 52 years; he also previously served in the House for three terms, so his total Congressional service was nearly 58 years

[Bolo Boffin]

5. 58 years is just under 25% of the entire existence of the United States.

An incredible record.

[Ter]

10. I'm talking full political career, not just House and Senate

In 1933 Thurmond was elected to the South Carolina Senate. Not sure if it adds up to more, but it was close.

[struggle4progress]

11. Byrd's career proceeded uninterrupted from 46 to 10 or nearly 64 years. Thurmond's

started in 29 and ran to 42, when it was interrupted by the war; restarted in 46 and ran through 50; then restarted in 54 and ran through 02

It's close: Thurmond might have beat Byrd by a year

[JI7]

6. who is now the oldest and longest serving ?

and how old and how long have they been serving ?

[ButterflyBlood]

8. Daniel Inouye is the longest serving, Frank Lautenberg the oldest

Lautenberg is 86, Inouye has been in office since 1963.

[Lasher]

12. And Inouye is now President Pro Tempore of the Senate

[hootinholler]

7. "he was still in the Senate while every single person he served with when he entered it was dead."

Just a matter of time until Beck turns this into a nefarious plot!

-Hoot