There are several Fascinating facts about the Senate. Senators are elected by state legislatures and represent large constituencies. They serve six-year terms and are less prone to cyclical fads. The Senate has a long tradition of deliberation, consensus building, delay, and fierce debate. Let’s look at a few of these fascinating figures. If you want to learn more, read on!
Robert Byrd
The truth is that you may be surprised to learn that Byrd was once a Klansman. Although he later renounced the Klan, his association with the organization was short-lived. Byrd later apologized for his membership in the Klan, saying that he had been motivated by anti-Communist sentiments and ambition. If you’re not familiar with Byrd, consider the following facts about him:
Byrd grew up in a coalfield in West Virginia and attended college by night. As a law student, he learned Senate rules and regulations. He was well-read and outmaneuvered Republican senators with his extensive knowledge of the rules of the Senate. Byrd was not a college graduate at the time of his election, but he did go to night classes at American University and went on to earn a law degree. He became the first senator to earn a law degree while serving in the Senate, receiving it from President John F. Kennedy.
Byrd’s tenure in the Senate was distinguished by his long tenure as the Democratic whip and Minority Leader. He served as a senator for 30 years and remained on that committee even after stepping down as Senate leader. In 2009, he became the Senate’s president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial position that makes him the most senior senator of the majority party. In 2011, Byrd retired as Senate president pro tempore, a position that carries little responsibility.
Despite his ardent dislike for the Washington party circuit, Senator Byrd grew to love the Senate. His passion for the Senate’s prerogatives and institution was evident in his numerous formal lectures. Byrd also set a record for the longest filibuster by a senator, with a passage referring to raisins. And his love for the Senate’s history is evident in his writings, including the ‘The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the History of the Senate’.
Strom Thurmond
There are a few Strom Thurmond facts about the Senate that you may not know. Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Thurmond ran for Senate in 1996 and largely faded from national prominence in his final years. He was largely backed by his retinue of loyal aides, including longtime chief of staff Duke Short. His staff also worked for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Reuters, among other publications. Later, he was editor of the Lexington Herald Leader, where he compiled his first five-part series on Thurmond. He also managed a team of investigative reporters that won a Pulitzer Prize for their work. Thompson broke the story of Strom Thurmond’s biracial child, Essie Mae Washington. Now a senior editor at ProPublica, Thompson has compiled some of the most
Before becoming a senator, Thurmond contested the U.S. Senate seat in Newberry with former Gov. Olin Johnston. During the primary, Thurmond challenged Johnston to a fight outside the courthouse. He won, but lost. His political career did not end there. Johnson, who was the majority leader in the Senate, understood the challenges of breaking the segregated South and moved forward with civil rights legislation.
The first national prominence of Thurmond came in 1948, when the white southern Democrats withdrew from the Democratic Party’s national convention over a civil rights plank. The “Dixiecrats” then chose Thurmond as their presidential nominee. Thurmond’s achievements as governor were his personal high points in his political career. He helped repeal the poll tax in South Carolina, legalized divorce, and amended the Public Welfare Act to provide aid to dependent children under 18.
When Senator Strom Thurmond was elected to the Senate, he opposed a number of civil rights bills. He also held the South for Richard Nixon, and he assured Southerners that Nixon would be easy on civil rights. However, Thurmond later filed a filibuster, preventing a vote on the 1957 Civil Rights Bill. This act was ultimately defeated, but Thurmond said he was not a racist and had never acted in that way.
