Sen. Byrd, longest-serving member of Congress, dies at 92

W.Va. lawmaker was elected to U.S. House of Representatives in 1952

WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving member of Congress, died overnight after being hospitalized, a spokesman for the West Virginia lawmaker said early Monday.

"I am saddened that the family of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., tearfully announces the passing of the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history. He was 92," spokesman Mark Ferrell said in a statement released by the Senator's office.
"Byrd died peacefully at approximately 3 a.m. at Inova Fairfax Hospital," he said.
Byrd, 92, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952 and served six years there before moving to the U.S. Senate.
In November, Byrd broke the record for congressional service that had been set by Democrat Carl Hayden of Arizona, who served in the House and Senate from 1912 to 1969.
Byrd has been in frail health in recent years and was hospitalized three times in 2009. He has been confined to a wheelchair, but was present and voted "yes" for final Senate passage of the health care reform bill in March.
Byrd has been the longest-serving senator since June 2006 and was elected to an unprecedented ninth term in November 2006. His colleagues have elected him to more leadership positions than any senator in history. He has cast more than 18,000 votes and has a nearly 98 percent attendance record over the course of his career.
A former member of the Ku Klux Klan, Byrd later became a champion of civil rights. He has also been a staunch supporter of his home state's coal industry and more recently has spoken out about environmental and safety issues.