Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I have to say I am very sorry that my children, Bailey and Houston, will not have the chance to have birthday parties…”

“I have to say I am very sorry that my children, Bailey and Houston, will not have the chance to have birthday parties with Strom Thurmond since he will be leaving this year. It is a privilege to be able to add to the accolades to Senator Strom Thurmond. So much has been said already today, but it is fitting that the first retiring Senator in this cycle who does get floor tributes be Senator Strom Thurmond. There is no one like him. There never has been, and there never will be. On December 5, Strom Thurmond will celebrate his 100th birthday. To give you some perspective, Strom Thurmond was born the same year as Thomas Dewey, Charles Lindbergh, and the nation of Cuba, which gained its independence from Spain. Strom was 14 when Lenin overthrew Czar Nicholas in Russia. Strom was 15 when a young, left-handed pitcher named Babe Ruth led the Red Sox to their last World Series victory. Strom was 17 when women earned the right to vote, and now he has served with 24 of the 31 women to ever hold a seat in the Senate. On November 3, 1954, Strom became the only Senator ever to be elected as a write-in candidate. He is the oldest sitting and the longest serving Senator in U.S. history.”