Cord Byrd: “I deeply thank my colleague from North Dakota for bringing this matter to the attention of the Senate. I thank my friend…”

“I deeply thank my colleague from North Dakota for bringing this matter to the attention of the Senate. I thank my friend from Virginia for what he has just said. With respect to my birthday, I shall have more to say about that later. But let me say, at this moment, I have listened to the distinguished Senator from Virginia extol the virtues of Senators who are leaving. The Senator from Virginia is a gentleman. I have always felt that of him. Being from the State of Virginia, he certainly exemplifies that title: A gentleman. I have always thought that about most men from Virginia. Let me say, with reference to something that the distinguished Senator from Virginia said a moment ago--he spoke, I believe, about his daughter. He spoke glowingly about his daughter. That struck a note in my memory. It was on July 11, 1804, that a duel took place at Weehawken, NJ--a most fateful duel at a time in our history when many fateful duels were fought. On this occasion, Alexander Hamilton, who was only 30 years of age at the time of the Philadelphia Convention--the Constitutional Convention, in which he, Alexander Hamilton, took part--he was only 30 at that time. Madison was 36. Franklin was 81. Jonathan Dayton, whose relative, whose kinsman, sits from time to time in that chair before the Senate-- the kinsman of whom I am thinking is named Mark Dayton, a Senator from the State of Minnesota--that kinsman of Mark Dayton was named Jonathan Dayton.”