Douglas Alexander: “I rise today to salute my senior colleague, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. Today, the Senator passed a…”

“I rise today to salute my senior colleague, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. Today, the Senator passed a milestone that has never been passed before, and may never be passed again: he cast his 17,000th vote on the Senate floor. It's an amazing achievement. No other sitting Senator has cast more than 15,000 votes. Senator Thurmond, who is no longer with us, cast the next highest total of 16,348 votes. Mr. President, Senator Byrd has had a long and distinguished career in the United States Senate. He was first elected to this body in 1958. Only Senator Thurmond served longer, but Senator Byrd may soon pass that record, too--he's only got two more years to go. He became the Democratic Leader in 1977, holding that position for six consecutive 2-year terms, three terms as majority leader, and three as minority leader. He also served as President pro tempore--third in line in the order of succession to the Presidency, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House--from 1989 to 1995 and 2001 to 2003. The Senator from West Virginia is also a master historian. His four-volume, 3,000 page history of the U.S. Senate has been called 'the most ambitious study of the U.S. Senate in all of our history.' He is a passionate advocate for understanding our history, not only among Senators, but for the entire country.”