Kent Conrad: “at the close of the 107th Congress, the Senate will lose a legend, a colleague who has served more than 40 years in the…”

“at the close of the 107th Congress, the Senate will lose a legend, a colleague who has served more than 40 years in the U.S. Senate, cast more than 15,000 votes and achieved the record as the longest-serving Member in this body. Perhaps most notably, our colleague, on his retirement, will have completed the lengthiest record of public service on behalf of our country. Senator Thurmond has served his community as an educator; the State as State senator, judge, and Governor; and our Nation in World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters, an Army Reservist for 36 years, as a candidate for President and as U.S. Senator. This record of service spans a period of more than 80 years. Remarks by Senator Thurmond at the time of his swearing-in ceremony for his seventh term in 1997 express succinctly his views and commitment to public service. At the time he said, ``there is no more rewarding endeavor than public service, and without question, the more than 40 years I have spent in the U.S. Senate have been among the happiest of my life.''”